Truth and Consequences
by caledonia10
Summary: Prequel – Nuada is framed for murder amidst growing tension with the humans. Only the dead man's daughter can set the story straight but she is convinced of his guilt. Averting war is tricky business, even if she finds the truth. Eventual NuadaxOC
1. Chapter 1

((Just me. This is my first and is probably going to be my only fanfic. I got the idea while working on something else and decided it would make a good distraction. It has now taken over. Just to warn you this will be a long one (did not start out that way) but I want to do it right. I have several chapters awaiting proofreading and I will make every effort to finish this. Thanks for checking out my story.))

*** I do not own or any of the characters or plotlines of the Hellboy movies or comics as my own original work. I'm just a fan. ****

Chapter One

White moonlight drifted through the bare branches of the late autumn trees illuminating the floor of the ancient forest. A group of five stood just inside the protective ring of trunks out of sight of the glowing windows of the recently built keep and growing city. Mud paths were quickly being transformed into paved roads ahead of the winter's cold. Nuada seethed as he watched the sprawl progressively eat away at the edges of his home. His father, King Balor, had insisted that they wait for replies to the missives he had sent to the lord and the king reminding them of the treaty and the boundaries. No answer had come. He had not thought for a moment that it ever would but his father had still given them time to respond. So his anger simmered while he watched a hollow that a group of fairies called home be cut down for fire wood and pasture, watched as various fey creatures fleed past him, deeper into Bethmora as axes destroyed their homes for kindling, watched as they pleaded for the king to do something, and watched while the king counseled patience. Now there was this. The black leather gloves creaked in his tightening fist as he surveyed the ring of stumps surrounding a muddy hole. Sheep dung was scattered everywhere. Once there had been a sacred grove surrounding a spring whose waters had been prized for their healing properties. His eyes narrowed. Now it was nothing more than a befouled pit, unfit even for the sheep to drink from. "Let us see what you do now father. Now that they have destroyed one of our hallowed sites."

Courtiers backed out of the prince's path in haste when they heard his angry steps approaching. Dressed in full black armor, a dark cape billowing behind him Nuada cut an imposing sight. He strode purposefully in the direction of the throne room where the king was holding court, fully intent on making him see reason when he spotted her and stopped short. The fierceness in his amber eyes faded.

"Nuala?"

"It has been a while, brother."

It was good to see her hesitant smile again. "Months. When did you get back?" He did not know how she did it but seeing her always put him in a better mood.

"Just today. Father called me home." Her brow creased as she got closer to him. She could feel his banked fury. "What is wrong?" She looked at him more closely. "Why are you in armor?"

He opened his mouth to tell her about the humans when the Chamberlain butted in. "Excuse me your highnesses," he said in his sorrowful sing-song voice, "but King Balor would like to see the prince now."

Nuada's temper roared to life again as quickly as it had gone. He glared at the cringing Chamberlain before turning back to his sister. "I'm sure we'll talk after." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. "It's good to see you again sister." He made for the door but his way was barred by the wide swords of the raven headed guardsmen.

The hunched Chamberlain knotted and flexed his long jointed fingers. "Forgive me sire but you will have to enter without your weapons."

Annoyed Nuada quickly stripped the baldric from his waist and the spear from his back and thrust them into the Chamberlain's unexpecting arms before turning on his heel and entering the throne room. Courtiers lined either side of the isle leading to his father. Some shot him curious looks, some disapproving. He ignored all of them focusing soley on the elderly elf sitting on the throne in front of him. His father's age had slowly begun to change his appearance. The king had let his previously short cropped bead grow long. Strands of white hair now outnumbered the blond, but he still looked regal. Nuada bowed gracefully to him.

"Why are you in armor my son?"

"The humans have gone too far yet again father. They are not leaving their settlement. Quiet the opposite. They have fortified it with a keep and building permanent roads. They are expanding. Not only has their greed consumed a large tract of the forest, ousting dozens of fey but now they have destroyed Danau's Grove and the spring that stood there."

He watched as King Balor straightened in shock. "Have we heard back from our emissaries?" He asked the Chamberlain who stood at the back just outside the chamber clutching Nuada's weapons.

"No sire," he called, "Shall I send another messenger?"

Nuada suppressed the urge to scream in frustration. It took great effort to keep his voice steady and calm. "Father we have already sacrificed enough to the humans for the sake of a peace which they do not care to uphold. How much more must we lose before we act?"

King Balor stared at his son for a long moment. Nuala squirmed at the exchange. The tension between her father and brother had been getting worse lately. She did not know how her brother could stand the silence of their father's unwavering gaze. The king sighed in regret and looked away from his only son. "We have indulged the humans over much. They have trespassed on our land and taken advantage of our forbearance. They need to know our patience is not without limits." He returned his gaze to his son. "You will assemble a force. Destroy the keep, make it clear we will fight for what's ours but go no further. Not all humans are like this one man. King Gilroy might yet be unaware of his servant's work."

Nuada did not voice his doubts to the last part as he bowed again to his father. It was, after all, at least a step in the right direction.


	2. Chapter 2

((Just to give fair warning because this is a prequel-esque sort of story there are going to be a lot of ocs and this chapter deals mainly with some of them. In fact a good portion of the story will involve them. Yes a few of them will be female and yes some of them will interact with Nuada. Let it be known however that I dislike a Mary/Larry Sue as much as the next person and have tried to keep it out of the story.))

Lord Parlan pulled his horse to a halt as it crested the hill. A sense of foreboding sent a tingling sensation down his arms when he saw the line of crackling bonfires in front of the forest. Nothing stirred in the dark cottages skirting the keep. _Was Morven mad?_ He turned to the captain of the twenty odd men behind him. "When we get in there you are to find my daughter and get her out immediately. Do not stop until you are Parlan land, do you understand?"

"Yes my lord. Do you want a detail to go with you?"

"I will take five, the rest of you are to get Rhoswen and leave."

"Yes my lord." The captain bowed in the saddle.

Once inside the keep Parlan and his small group quickly split off from the others as he made his way to Lord Morven's chambers. Families and their belongings crowded the lower level of the central hall. Their faces looked up at him in hope as he climbed the stairs. _Damn Fools_. The guards outside Lord Morven's personal chamber blocked the door when they saw him approach.

Parlan squared his broad shoulders and narrowed his hazel eyes. "Let me through," his voice held just enough of menace mixed with command that the guardsmen balked for a moment before remembering their orders.

"Only you are allowed in, my lord."

"Fine." Parlan's men fidgeted. He knew they did not like the idea of him heading into a possibly hostile situation alone but it had to be done. Morven needed to know he was facing this fight alone. "Wait here. I will be out shortly."

Parlan entered to find Morven dining alone at a table groaning under the weight of various haunches of roasted meat and fresh baked bread. Grease from a large turkey leg ran down the corpulent man's face and beard. He only stopped gnawing on the meat to take a draft from the enormous flagon sitting at his elbow.

Parlan was thoroughly disgusted. His eyes searched for something else to look at. His back stiffened when he saw the empty box standing in the corner. The golden tree of Bethmora was unmistakable as it glinted in the fire light. It was worse than he thought. He needed to leave now.

Morven took another swig of wine and belched. "So Parlan you've brought my reinforcements?" His bloodshot eyes narrowed, "That was not two hundred men I heard coming into the keep just now." He wiped his pudgy grease laden hands on the table cloth.

"I'll not send my men to be slaughtered for an unjust cause. You and the king are mad if you think you can goad Bethmora and then have others do your dying for you. Defend yourselves."

"You choose to believe in fairy tales rather than follow the orders of your king?" he asked in reproach. He pushed his portly body back from the table, food tumbled from his lap as he stood. "Need I remind you that your loyalty is already in question?"

"Need I remind you of the terms of the treaty our grandfathers signed? A treaty that Balor did not have to offer since he could have easily destroyed every last family of the nobility?"

Morven waved him off. "That was almost a hundred years ago. We are not our grandfathers," his voice turned threatening, "We would not make their mistakes."

"No you make new ones," his words received only a disinterested wave. He wanted to shake the man but he doubted it would help. "I will not share in this folly. You choose to blindly follow Gilroy. I do not pity you your fate. Me and mine will have no part in it." Parlan turned to leave. Before his hand could grasp the door pull an elfin sword sprouted from his chest. Parlan gasped in pain as Morven gave the sword a cruel twist.

He leaned over the dying man's shoulder and smiled in his ear. "No it is you who should be pitied. You who choose the constraints of the past over the opportunities of the present. You could have expanded your lands tenfold but instead you choose your allegiance to your dead wife's people." He sneered, "Well now you can join her." He left the blade in the man's back stepped over his body. Out in the hall his men had made short work of the soldiers.

"Captain see that Parlan's daughter is still secured in her room," a lecherous smile spread across his face. "She will be having an extended stay with us." The captain nodded and went to see it done. Morven smiled down at the leaking corpse in satisfaction. Parlan had always been the self righteous type, never willing to even bend the rules. He had been a favorite of the old king but now both were dead and King Gilroy had a rather different opinion on the flexibility of rules. His smug smile continued until he heard the horn blasts from the tower. One for warning. Two for false alarm. His eyes popped open in disbelief at the third. They were under attack.


	3. Chapter 3

((Finally worked out a few kinks in the chapter I was working on. Another one done, another one posted. Enjoy!))

*** I do not own any content or characters associated with the Hellboy movies or comics***

Chapter Three

It had been far easier than he had thought to sneak around the watchmen. They simply leaned on the poles of their spears staring at the bonfires ringing the forest, not bothering to see what might be coming at them from the now empty city. The tooth fairies had done their work scaring everyone into the keep. Now it was their turn.

From the ground the keep was three stories high. Not insurmountable, but still an obstacle. From the two story taverns and stores across the narrow ally from the keep it was almost laughable. They had set out under the cover of darkness, bringing their ladders around through the dark deserted streets, not meeting any resistance. Nuada could feel his muscles tighten in anticipation. The long upper story of the tavern was packed with black armored elves except for the ladder in the middle of the room. He stared intently at the black polished stone in his hand until it emitted a sudden soft white flash. "Knock it down." The elves standing by the loosened section of the wall closest to the keep threw their weight against it sending it crashing to the ground. The sound of debris falling from other buildings echoed in the night. No sooner were the elves out of the way but Nuada was quietly running up the ladder that was out and clamped onto the creneling of the keep.

Nuada sprang lightly over the stone work behind one of three watchmen. Without hesitation he grabbed one man's head and jaw from behind lifted and twist. The man's neck broke with a pop, startling the other two. With a sweep of his sword severed the neck of one and managed to impale the lungs of the other before he could cry out. Elves were flooding into the keep. Nuada heard horn blasts in the background as he led his group in search of the lord. Servants screamed and ran when they saw him coming. He paid them no mind, as long as they stayed out of his way they were not a problem. Occasionally a few men at arms came at them but each bout lasted only a few blows before the men were knocked aside and dispatched. Finally at the end of one moonlit hall he found what he was looking for, a cluster of nervous looking men, weapons drawn with their backs to a door.

Beads of sweat collected and started running down the soldier's face. His sword shook in his hand at the sounds of his dying comrades outside. He couldn't stand the noise they made, the screams of pain, the moans, the gurgling sounds they made when they tried to breathe through the blood running into their lungs. It must be a nightmare, it wasn't real. He tried to will himself to wake up when a shadow rounded the corner. One of his men? No, he realized as the tall, lean, white haired shadow passed through a beam of moonlight. The only thing paler than his skin was the light, except around his eyes and mouth. That was dark as pitch. He felt his mouth go numb and his limbs turn to lead as the figure approached him. It looked as though Death had come personally to collect his soul. He just managed to scream as the spear head came straight for his face.

Nuada stepped over the bodies and kicked down the door. Seeing a body he thought that Lord Morven may have committed suicide, but a quick glance at the position of the sword told him otherwise. He found the sniveling thing called Lord Morven cowering in a corner. He snarled as he made his way to the man. "Lord Morven you have broken the treaty that stood between the Sons of the Earth and your ancestors," the man continued to cringe, protecting his head with his arms.

Nuada could not take much more of this spineless worm. At least the soldiers in the hall had put up a fight, had at least faced their enemy. Why they chose such men as leaders was beyond him. He could have never followed such a coward, no matter his birthright. Nuada grabbed the long unkempt hair at the base of the man's neck and forced him to look him in the eye. "Did you honestly think we would simply stand by and allow you to steal our realm pieces at a time?"

"Please don't kill me," he begged, "ransom me back to my king. I would be worth my weight in gold at least."

Fury glowed in Nuada's eyes. He leaned in closer. "I do not want your gold," he said in a low menacing voice, "I want you gone." With that he threw his weight behind the blade as he drove it into the man's heart.

"My lord," one of his soldiers ran into the room, "some men on horseback escaped through the south gate."

"I told your captain to secure that gate and make sure that no one got out!" Nuada thought for a moment. They could not afford to have anyone arriving to help the humans so soon. Even the forest gods needed time to tear down the keep and return the land to what it once was. He ordered the men to follow as he stormed out of the room.

Down in the courtyard of the keep he gave strict instructions to keep all who surrendered under close watch in the central hall as he and his men mounted up. Not waiting to see if they were ready he spurred his horse toward the south gate determined catch up to the humans in time.

Thirty minutes later they spotted the cloaked riders as their horses struggled to climb a hill. Nuada's brow creased as he followed their path to the silver band of water ahead. The fools were heading straight for the river. It would be freezing this time of year and their horses were flagging already. "Take them alive if you can. If they put up a fight kill them."


	4. Chapter 4

"Riders behind us my lady," the soldier next to her warned.

Rhoswen glanced behind her to see them on their trail. "We could still make it to the river."

"Not before they get to us."

"We have the advantage in numbers. They won't-" an arrow whistled past their heads, "Apparently they will," she said, surprised.

"That was a warning shot my lady." The soldier looked back. They were still a good distance away, but closing fast. "We're not going to make it to the river."

"What do you recommend?"

"Stand and fight then cross the river without them shooting at our backs."

Nuada watched as the group of riders turned and formed a line. An answering arrow whistled overhead but the elves did not stop.

"They're still coming my lady."

She notched another arrow, "Then fire at will." They managed to down three before they were on them. Her men formed a protective circle around her and she took up her own sword. Not that she was that great a swordswoman, archery was more her forte, but something was better than nothing in close quarters. Despite having the advantage in numbers they quickly found themselves in the fight of their lives. Metal clanged and shrieked around her as her men fought and died. Compared to the speed of their attackers it was like they were moving through quick sand. They barely had time to block one blow before they were hammered by two more. The circle was closing in around her in an attempt to fill the gaps as the men fell. Rhoswen turned and blocked a blow aimed at her head. The shock caused her hood to fall and nearly sent her flying off the horse.

Nuada stayed his next blow. _A woman?_ He studied her for a second. There was something different in her appearance for a human but he could not place what it was. He tried to get a closer look at her face but she used the pause to launch her own attack. He easily caught the blade in the notch of his sword and pulled it from her hands. She froze for a moment as his blade came up alongside her neck but his arm was close enough that she knocked it and the blade away with her left while swinging her balled up fist at his nose. The punch connected and pain erupted along her knuckles.

Stunned Nuada wiped the back of his hand under his nose. It came away with a golden streak of his blood. A snarl escaped his lips as he grabbed her throat. He would have snapped the wench's neck then and there if the moonlight had not revealed what he had been looking for. He tilted her face in the light. Looking past her surprised and outraged expression he could see luminosity to her skin common amongst his own kind. Carefully, he lifted her long chestnut hair with his other hand to reveal slightly pointed ears.

"Drop your weapons," he commanded the remaining resisters.

Her men froze, unsure of what to do. She could now see their attackers were elves although why they would be attacking Parlans she had no idea. The Parlan clan had upheld the peace agreement for generations, even when it had gone against the wishes of the king. Now a Bethmooran had her by the throat? It was outrageous, especially now that her father was on the brink of war all for the sake of a pact that they apparently no longer held. _How dare they?_

"Now!" His soft voice was full of menace.

She hated to giving in, but it would only get them all killed to continue. "Do as he says." Narrowing her eyes into a glare she tried to pull out of his grasp on her neck but his grip only tightened. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked indignant.

Nuada swung his horse next to hers and, before she could protest, wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her in front of him. "Try to escape and I will kill her," he said as he tied her hands in front of her. Quietly he whispered to her, "You try to escape and I will kill all of your men." She glared at him. No matter how far she scooted up in the saddle she could still feel him behind her.

The ride back to the keep was thankfully short. Metal shod hoof beats echoed around the enclosed courtyard as they pulled their horses to a halt. Nuada did not even look at her as he passed the girl to a waiting guardsman and purposefully strode toward the keep. "Bring her along," he said over his shoulder.

He spoke of her like she was a sack of potatoes! She wished she had something, anything, to throw at the back of that smug conceited elf as the vice-like grip on her arm pulled her along. Manure of some sort would be her first choice. She almost smiled at the image of brown chunks in his silver hair.

The sight of so many scared people under guard in the central hall of the keep erased all other thoughts from her mind. Suddenly the full force of the seriousness of the situation hit her. She tried to scan the crowd below for any sign of her father or his men as she was pulled up the steps but there was no sign of them. She tried to ignore the worry that was quickly eating away a hole in her stomach.

_Maybe they were separated out because they were Parlans. I can't wait to see this fool's face when my father tells him who he is. The King of Bethmoora will probably have him booted from the army. How tragic for him._

They continued down the moonlit corridors, here and there noticing fresh blood stains on the wall and nicks in the stone. Coverings had been ripped from the window where yesterday she had been trying to convince her friend, Lord Morven's daughter, Martha, to come back home with her. They had met each other at court a few years back and since then Martha had always come to spend summers with her. When Rhoswen's father told her of the tension between the elves and Morven she had begged Martha to stay for the winter but Martha had refused saying that she was anxious to see the home her father had built. "Now that we have a fine keep you will have to come visit me," she'd giggled. Rhoswen had not been able to convince her of the danger and Martha had been left thinking she begrudged her her father's new found wealth. She had gone to visit her friend to mend fences and try one last time to convince her to come away with her, but it was no use. Martha had insisted they were perfectly safe, what with Rhoswen's father's men coming to bolster their defenses. She had tried to explain king's order or no her father would not defend Lord Morven's land grab.

Angry tears threatened to fall but Martha was able to hold them back as she screamed, "Well then your father is a traitor, just like they say, and we wouldn't want his help anyway!" She had slammed the door shut as she fled the room. Shocked at her friend's stinging words she had just sat in stunned silence for what seemed like ages. It was obvious that she was no longer welcome but when she tried the door to leave she found it locked and the guardsmen on the other side unwilling to open it.

It suddenly hit her she had also not seen Martha with the others. The knot in her stomach grew tighter. _What was going on?_ She watched the elves standing outside Lord Morven's chambers bow deferentially to the elf who led in her capture. She frowned as she studied him more closely while he talked to the other soldiers. The big round symbol of Bethmoora lying against the red sash under his breast plate was the first thing that caught her attention. Only some one high in the order of things would be allowed to bear that symbol. Some one really high. Her heart sank when she saw the tell tale birth scar ranging across the bridge of the head elf's nose. She groaned inwardly. He was a royal. Prince Nuada no doubt. She sighed in disappointment as they entered the room. _So much for getting him booted from the army, but I'll settle for a royal apology_.

The prince's abrupt outburst of angry elfish snapped her out of her thoughts. A scared soldier was trying to explain something over a high pitched wailing. Rhoswen was looking for its source when she recognized the crumpled body lying on its side. A wide smeared trail of blood showed that it had been dragged away from the door. "Dad!" She snapped her arm out of the distracted soldier's grasp and ran to him. "Dad! Dad! Can you hear me?" she screamed as if he was simply hard of hearing rather than dead. She tried to shake him awake but the elfin sword lodged in his back made it difficult.

It was no use. The pallor of his face and congealing blood on the floor confirmed that he had been dead a while. Rhoswen could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she realized he would not call her his little girl anymore.

On the verge of breaking down sobbing her tears were checked by the sound of two black booted feet shuffling toward her to pull her away from the body. She looked up from where she was kneeling into the ashen face of the prince.

He almost took a step back when he saw the vehement hatred on her red splotchy face.

"You did this," she hissed in a low accusatory tone that was quickly rising with her fury, "you killed my father. A man from a long line who have shed their blood and given their lives and their sons lives to protect your precious pact and for all of the Parlans' sacrifices you stab him in the back like the gutless coward you are."

Nuada sucked in a breath at the name. The last time he had seen Nathan Parlan he'd been but a babe. There was no way he could have known what he looked like fifty years later, but he still should have recognized the man's colors. After all their family was one of their closest allies among the humans. "No. I did not do this."

His calm quiet voice only enraged her further. "No? Then one of your minions did if for you. It doesn't change the fact that he died on the end of an elfin sword wielded by one of you."

He frowned as he tried to reason with her, "Neither I nor my men did this. He was dead when I entered the room. I am responsible only for the traitor Morven's death." He pointed to the corner where Martha sat crying over her own father's body.

Her eyes narrowed, "And I'm supposed to believe the word of an oath breaker?"

Nuada's patience broke. His voice took on a commanding timbre, "That is enough. You are irrational. The humans were the first to break their oaths not us. I realize you are in pain but neither I or my people - "

"Are responsible," she quipped, "Deny it all you want prince. Your word means nothing."

His fist clenched as he bit back his frustration. He had to work to keep his voice calm, "Come away. We'll see to it that his body is sent home for a proper burial."

"No."

"_Girl_-"

"No. I will not leave his body in the hands of his attackers, especially those who have no honor."

Nuada could feel the weight of the collective silence behind him as he strode blank faced toward the girl. He had reached his limit. She saw him coming and started fumbling with something in the dead man's sword belt. He reached her just as she lunged at him with a knife. He simply grabbed the wrist with the knife and swung behind her to avoid the ensuing kick aimed at his groin.

She struggled ineffectually against him as he locked her arms against her. She wanted to hurt him, to maim him, to kill him, but even with all her rage she could do nothing but squirm in his grip. "Monster! Liar! You wait. I may not be able to avenge my father but my brother will raise all the barons and the lords of the north and raze Bethmoora to the ground."

Nuada ignored the raving woman and instead addressed one of his men. _"Is there a room where we can put her where she won't harm herself . . . or others?"_

"- Murderer! Oath breaker! - " Martha stared open mouthed at her friend violently kicking and twisting while the prince tried to hang on to her.

"_I think so."_ The soldier was clearly unsure of what to do.

He tried to tighten his slipping hold on her. _"Then for gods sakes take me there so I can be rid of her!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Nuada held his head in one hand and drummed the fingers of the other on the oak desk as the golden orange rim of the sun crested a far away hill top. It was morning and he still did not know what to do with the grief stricken girl he held captive. She had only stopped shouting names at him a couple hours ago. The elves guarding her said that now she just sat there staring woodenly out the window.

He scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. He wished he could just let her and her willful misconceptions accompany Lord Parlan's body back to their rightful place. Except then there would be no way to stop an all out war with the humans. The Parlans had spoken for the northern barons for centuries. They held the most wealth, power, and land in the human realm out side of the king. Almost half of the king's army and taxes were paid by the Parlans and now they would be more than willing to rise up with the king against the elves.

How he and his father were going to convince Lord Parlan's son that he had not murdered his father he did not know. The only thing they could do now was hold the sister hostage and hope that was incentive enough to keep the Parlans from fighting. He stared blankly at the short note on the table. The messenger he had sent had returned in record time. King Balor was apparently furious. Nuada was to bring the daughter, apparently her name was Rhoswen, back to Bethmoora while the Parlan soldiers were to accompany Lord Parlan's body back home with a letter detailing what had happened written by the king himself.

He heaved himself up from the chair and made his way out into the hall where his men stood guard. Not that they really needed to with the keep under their control. "Have the men start evacuating the humans. Everyone but Rhoswen Parlan is to be gone before mid morning. Have our horses ready to leave by then."

Rhoswen said nothing as the elves led her from her room and helped her onto a horse. She did not see their faces nor understand what they said to her. Her blank stare distinguished nothing as the world moved around her. The nag that they put her on walked when the other horses walked and stopped when they stopped and so required very little effort or direction on her part. She just stared down at its withers as they moved back and forth as she plodded along her head swaying to the rhythm of her steps.

Nuada frowned at her concerned. Her listlessness was troubling. Based on yesterday he had expected her to try to escape at least once. Today he had been surprised by her disinclination to do so much as hold her head up. She just bobbed and swayed with the horse not really paying attention to anything.

Right now her welfare was his responsibility. If the horse spooked or tripped and she was thrown she could be seriously injured. It could be that she was tired but he sensed it was more than that and he was not about to be accused of another Parlan's death. The one time she had looked somewhat alert had been when the three forest gods had announced their prescience with their keening calls and groaning gangly movements. She had watched impassively as they started to pull apart the keep but then lost interest. His face cleared as a thought struck him on how to perk her up.

"Lady Rhoswen," he dipped his head.

She just glared at him in pure loathing.

He assumed an overly arrogant tone. "I see you are tired and in danger of falling off your horse. You will ride with me."

"I will not," she said indignantly. "I am perfectly capable of riding by myself. You needn't concern yourself."

"Oh but I must and I will. King Balor has commanded that you arrive whole and in good health and if that means I have to carry you the entire way back I will."

"If you think that I allow myself to be anywhere near your intolerable presence-"

He narrowed his eyes, "Just mind your way a bit more and my presence can be avoided."

Her anger could only simmer as he dropped back behind her. She settled for glaring at her surroundings instead of him. Hours passed as they rode through the dense forest. Eventually the trunks crowded so close that the only way to get through them was to follow the winding paths they made. The thick canopy of the trees blocked out the sky so she had no idea how much time had passed. _No wonder their all so pale_.

All she knew was that she was tired. It had been at least a day since she had slept. The only thing keeping her eyes open was the prince's threat of making her ride with him. The plodding rhythm of the horse was slowly insidiously lulling her to sleep.

Just when she thought she would close her eyes for just a minute they rounded a bend and came upon a vast rounded arched gate stretching up past the tree tops maybe fifty feet high. After they dismounted she was led through stone walls that reached just above the tree tops. She passed under the portcullis, walked up an incline and out into wide open air throne room. Two long parallel rows of columns ran from twenty feet on either side of the throne to the entrance. She could see various shades of golden heads of hair in the balconies and on the floor huddled together talking as they entered. It looked as though the entire elf nation had shown up to welcome the Prince home although they looked more apprehensive than exuberant. The king was definitely not smiling. He sat still as stone at the base of a massive ancient oak tree, its gnarled roots forming a natural throne. Rhoswen felt a lump rise in her throat as they moved forward.

Twenty feet away Nuada and his men got down on a knee and bowed. He spotted Nuala to the right of the dais and had to hold back his shock at seeing Liam in a guard uniform behind her. Insolence seemed to be his natural demeanor. Liam gave a short little bow when he saw the Prince looking at him but even that gesture of deference seemed mocking. He ground his against one another when he involuntarily clenched his jaw. That his father would let someone with even the barest hint of questionable loyalty guard his sister was an outrage, he did not care how popular Liam's family was amongst his people.

His father motioned impassively for them to rise and then gave his sister a nod. She glided towards him hesitantly. _"We have to make sure brother."_

He felt his heart skip a beat. _"You don't believe me?"_ he asked.

"_Yes I do but father needs an impartial account and since you were the only one in the room . . ."_

"_Then go ahead."_

Rhoswen watched the prince close his eyes and the princess reach out her open hand. A look of concentration passed over her face before she turned back to the king and said something in the old language. Her mother had taught it to her but that was years ago and her language skills were rusty.

"_Nuada tells the truth father."_

The king nodded a small smile on his face. _"Then we welcome him back with open arms."_

Rhoswen felt a collective sigh of relief go through the hall although she was not entirely sure why. It was clear the Prince was being welcomed back after all. _So the king of the elves himself sanctions the murder of his longtime friend and ally._ She could feel her already hard heart go steely.

"Rhoswen Parlan," she looked up when the king addressed her, "you have the condolences of myself and my kingdom at the loss of your father. He was a good man and an honorable ally who will be sorely missed."

She could not believe he was not choking on his words, "And yet you welcome back his killer with open arms."

Nuada bowed again to his father. _"Despite my reassurances to the contrary she still believes that I or one of my men murdered Lord Parlan." _

King Balor nodded to his son. "We have irrevocable proof that Nuada did not kill your father although that may have looked like what happened."

Rhoswen knew she was pushing it, but she could not hold back. "What proof? I was there! I saw the blade in my father's back!" Some in the assembly gasped. How dare this human address the king in such a tone? How dare she counter his word?

King Balor's voice remained calm, "Things are not always as they seem. If you present me with a plausible explanation of how Nuada killed your father which takes into account all of the evidence, I will revisit the matter. Until that time there is no reason for me to believe that my son is a murderer."

"My lady you will be staying with us for a while as our honored guest. Nuala will show you to your room." Rhoswen was too drained to protest. She knew that "honored guest" was code for hostage but at this point she just could not bring herself to care.

Her mind was a haze as she followed the princess. The king seemed decent. Who wanted to believe that their son was a murderer? But she would show him exactly how he did it. Lay it out right under his nose so he could not ignore it. _Then we'll see how honorable he truly is_.

She couldn't concentrate anymore, could not even keep her eyes open. The floor seemed to be moving of its own accord. The last thing she saw was the princess's startled face as the walls suddenly floated sky high.


	6. Chapter 6

((It's my birthday but you all are getting presents! These first three chapters are smaller but the fourth makes up for it. By the way if you're looking for some good music check out Mumford and Sons. I really like Thistles and Weeds, Awake my Soul, White Blank Page, and Little Lion Man. Any how back to the story. Happy reading!))

Chapter Six

"That was a good catch brother," Nuala whispered as she held the door open.

Nuada stepped through and placed the girl on the bed. His memory of her anger the night before clashed with the peaceful quiet image before him now. That memory was like a sliver in his palm the way it picked at his conscience.

Nuala noticed her brother watching the girl, his brows knitted together. He seemed to be frowning a lot lately. "What's troubling you?"

"Her opinion of me should not matter, but I hate that she thinks me capable of such a crime."

"You've killed men before," Nuala pointed out.

"Yes but I've never been accused of killing an ally, of breaking a pact. It is a matter of honor."

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "None of us believes you guilty."

"Then why can't she see it?"

Nuala could feel her brother's confused frustration but did not know what she could do for him.

"Why is Liam suddenly amongst your guardsmen?" he asked suddenly asked as they left the room.

Nuala was taken aback, "He asked father for a position in the royal guard. Since he was so accomplished at the sword he placed him among my guards."

"Nuala I do not trust him. Have him transferred to my guards. I can keep a better watch on him that way."

Her face became concerned. "The men have already voted him captain. I can't remove him without father's order."

"Excuse me your highnesses," the sad voice of the chamberlain broke in, "but his majesty desires your presences in his chambers."

Nuada silently ground his teeth in annoyance as he was forced to adopt the sedate pace of the chamberlain. He did not want his sister to worry. "Do not concern yourself," he whispered as they walked, "I will handle it."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

King Gilroy McLeash pushed his golden hair out of his green eyes. He sat back in his chair alone in his study grinning from ear to ear. Current events could not have been better if he had orchestrated them himself. Oh he had planned the death of the pain in the ass Parlan but he had been less than confident in Morven's ability to make it look like a roadside ambush by the elves. For them to attack that very night and kill the one other man who was in on the plan had made his life so much easier. He could just hear the pitter patter of so many Parlan feet readying for war. He should really send Balor a thank you of some sort when this was all over. Of course if he had his druthers Balor would not be around to receive it. None of the elves would.

He frowned at the big green splotch covering a large expanse of the western half of the island on the map in front of him. Those delusional elves were sitting on so much potential. Their poor stewardship was evident for all to see. Letting the land grow wild when the trees could be felled for timber, the streams dammed for mills, and the fields put to the plow. It was a crime to waste such good land on a people who did not have a clue how to use it, how much power could be bought with it.

"Alec," he called to the door, "fetch my secretary. I need to send a note the new Lord Parlan."

Gilroy paced leisurely around his study, his hands clasped behind his lean frame, thinking about how exactly he would ensnare the young Parlan. After some moments when the secretary sat poised the king began, "To my dear friend Quinn, the new Lord Parlan, I offer you my deepest condolences in your time of grief. Although your late father and I did not always see eye to eye in matters of state, he was a good man whose counsel will be sorely missed," the secretary cocked an eyebrow as he penned the blatant lie, "Perhaps, when your grief allows, you will come to court in the coming month. Rest assured that I will lend any support I can to help recover your sister from those murderous savages."

"Add the usual mournful flowery good bye and bring it here for me to sign," he commanded.

"Your majesty, I thought Quinn and his half sister weren't particularly close," said one of his advisors.

"It doesn't matter. It is a slap in his face that she is being held, a challenge to his authority. He has to get her back or the council of barons that give the Parlans their power will see it as a weakness and have him removed in favor of an uncle or some other relation." He pressed his seal, a snarling wolf, into the hot red wax. "The deal I will make with him will keep him in power and more."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

King Balor was sitting next to the fire starring into the flames with a far away look on his face when Nuala and Nuada came in. The Chamberlain coughed slightly drawing the king back to the present.

"Nuala. Nuada. Come and sit by the fire." He waved them over. "Chamberlain please wait out side. I have a few things to discuss with you when we are done." Nuala watched her father carefully. Even though the elves were immortal, he had recently started showing signs of age. Signs which he had unsuccessfully tried to keep hidden.

Nuala and Nuada gracefully took their seats; Nuada making sure his sister was closest to the fire.

The silence stretched on a few moments before Balor began, "Nuada you did well at the keep. I at first thought the death of Lord Morven unnecessary however based on reports of his conduct and the events of the afternoon I am forced to revise my earlier conclusion."

Nuada leaned in, "What events father?"

The king let out a long sad breath. "It seems our southernmost settlement, Glenoake, was attacked without warning or cause by the humans three days ago. A Lord Carlin led the attack in the name of King Gilroy."

Nuada let out an angry hiss. "How bad is it?"

"The town has been burned to the ground. Any who did not flee were butchered whether they resisted or not."

Nuala gasped, "He wouldn't. Surely he knows we cannot let such a crime go unanswered?"

Controlled fury rippled through Nuada's voice betraying his calm appearance. "Send me. I will put an end to Carlin and avenge our people. This cannot stand."

"Gilroy is trying to pick a fight," Balor agreed, "We have already in effect answered back by destroying Lord Morven. Any further attacks would only fuel the fire."

Nuada could not hold back his outrage, "So we just let them destroy us a village at a time?"

Balor stopped his son in his tracks with one look. Nuada bowed his head knowing he had gone too far but still feeling like he had not gone far enough. "Gilroy will not attack unless the northern lords, Parlan, Teire, and Rowan, join him in the field. Teire and Rowan will not break the pact without cause but they will fight if Parlan asks them."

"So whether we go to war depends upon how much the new Lord Parlan wants his half sister alive verses how much he wants to avenge his father." Nuada knew it would be a tough choice for him were he in that situation. He would probably find a way to steal Nuala back and then avenge his father and destroy any one who had a hand in taking her in the first place. But then he was not Lord Parlan.

King Balor continued to stare pensively into the flames. "There is no new Lord Parlan. One has yet to be named by the council."

"What?" Nuada leaned forward.

"It seems as though Quinn Parlan has been temporarily made head of the clan but he is only a mouth piece for the council. It is they who hold the power. I've heard the boy is not taking his lack of authority well." King Balor turned to his son. "I sent them each a personal letter explaining what had happened, how you were not responsible for his lordship's death and how we had no choice but to finally defend ourselves. They are withholding judgment on events until they can talk to Rhoswen as she was the only one who saw the body before it had been prepared for transport. They want her opinion before they decide whether or not to go to war as Quinn Parlan wants. My feeling is they will give Quinn full authority as lord if they find against us but choose another if they are not convinced you killed his father."

Nuada threw up his hands. "Then we might as well ready for war because there is no way that girl will ever see the truth. If humans were not so completely blind -"

"Brother she just lost her father and believes that we are responsible for his death. Give her some time."

King Blaor cocked an eyebrow, "Perhaps if you had not killed the culprit behind the murder we would not be in this predicament. Something for you to think about. Never the less Nuala is right, but time is something that we do not have much of. I can delay her departure until spring at the latest but the council will eventually tire of waiting."

"How then do you propose we bring about this dramatic change of heart?" Nuada asked.

"We need to show lady Rhoswen that elves are not the demons she thinks us to be. She may then be more open to considering the possibility of your being innocent," King Balor turned to his daughter, "I know of no one more suited to the task my child."

Nuala smiled softly, "I'll do my best."

The king put his hand over hers, "I have no doubt you will my dear. In the meantime, Nuada, I want you to lead a small force to find and assist the refugees from Glenoake that are making their way here. They may be being pursued. Take a few of the healers as well but try to get everyone back here a soon as possible."

"Yes sire. I wonder if I might take a few of the guard."

"Take whomever you need Nuada."

_That takes care of Liam. _Nuada bowed to him and then to Nuala. "Sister. I will see you both soon."

Nuala also got up to leave. "Goodnight father."

"Goodnight dearheart." He smiled at her as she left.

King Balor's gaze shifted to the entrancing blaze before him. So engrossed was he that he did not hear the shuffling of the Chamberlain's robes as he entered the room.

"Your majesty?" he said hesitantly.

"Oh yes. I am sorry." The king's surprise quickly evaporated. "I had a few questions for you about my children. Since you so often see them interact at court I was wondering if you had seen any change in the way they behaved toward one another."

"Since childhood the prince and princess have always appeared to have a strong bond your majesty. They seem happy to see one another, especially after their many recent absences from court. If anything I would say their bond has gotten stronger over the years."

The king nodded, "Thank you Chamberlain. You may go." The Chamberlain bowed and backed out of the room.

King Balor dropped his head in his hands as he heard the door click closed. What to do, what to do. His children had been close since before they were born. As children they had been inseparable, despite their different interests. Now he worried that their bond was bringing them too close. Certainly he had not seen nor heard anything inappropriate pass between them, but that had not stopped him from sending one or the other on errands for the crown or encouraging them to go visit friends. Perhaps he was just over analyzing things. He just could not shake the feeling of foreboding. Maybe he should start looking into possible matches for the twins. Invite them to court. Throw a few balls under the guise of reconnecting with his allies in case there was war. Have them bring their sons and daughters, let them know he would like to see his own settled. Maybe that was all that was needed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Slowly she became aware of things as she drifted back into consciousness. The air moving in and out of her body, the warm covers. She rolled over and looked up to see the fabric of the canopy stretched out above her but there was something not right about the pattern. Squinting she realized that it was not even the right color. She sat bolt upright and examined the room. She sagged back against the pillows as the events of the past days hit her. Seeing Martha, being trapped at the keep, almost escaping only to be taken captive again, her father's death. All she wanted to do was burrow back under the covers and stay there.

"Hello."

Rhoswen yelped in shock. "What are- Who are you?" she asked the pale elf sitting next to her bed.

"I am Princess Nuala, but you can call me Nuala. I just wanted to make sure that you were well." Her voice was soft and kind. It had none of the harshness of her brother's. _Her brother_. That soured her mood.

"I don't need a watcher so if you don't mind I'll just be going back to sleep." Rhoswen rolled over and pulled the blankets over herself but the princess did not let her escape that easily.

Moving to the other side of the bed she tilted her head sideways so they were eye to eye. "But I have a bath ready and waiting for you. Surely you would like to get cleaned up and get some fresh clothes on."

"I don't have any fresh clothes here."

"You can borrow some of mine." Nuala smiled innocently. "I have them laid out for you over there.

Rhoswen's eyes narrowed from where they peered out from the depths of the cover cave. As tempting as a bath was, she did not want to accept anything from the prince's sister or any elf for that matter. "No, thank you," she said grumpily.

The sweet smile on the girl's face slowly fell. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought you would be more comfortable."

The dejected look on her face made Rhoswen's conscience squirm. This lady seemed to genuinely want to help her and she had thrown the offer back in her face. She sighed as she pushed herself up. "No I'm sorry. Perhaps you're right Nuala. Maybe a bath would do me good."

The smile flew back to Nuala's face. "I'm so glad to hear that. Everything is ready for you in the second room on your left through that hall." She pointed. "I'll be out here reading if you need anything."

"Thank you." Rhoswen had the distinct feeling that she had been hoodwinked and grumbled to herself about it all the way to the bath tub. Her suspicions melted away however as soon as she slipped into the warm water. Oh yes, a bath was definitely needed. She let the heat relax her as the steam temporarily carried away her cares, her long brown hair floated up around her.

It could be worse she supposed, they could have kept her in some rat infested dungeon until Quinn paid the ransom. If Quinn paid the ransom. They were not exactly on the best of terms. She had been six when her mother died. Thinking about it now she had no idea why. Elves were supposed to be immortal unless they met some violent end. The lack of a male heir had forced her father to remarry quickly. Nine months later Quinn had been born and his mother and her father had slowly started to drift apart.

Angry that her husband did not allow her into his affairs she assumed the worst and as punishment kept Quinn away from him by running to court. Her father had threatened to take the boy if she did not bring him back so back she came but the tension in the household had been unbearable. Servants scurried about hoping not to be noticed when the lady of the house was in a fit which was almost every day. Worn down by the constant bickering and yelling her father had finally made a deal. She could live at court with Quinn until the boy was five. After that he would live with his father from spring through fall coming back to court for the winter. His wife had left a happy woman.

Rhoswen had not really had a chance to get to know her brother. He had been a cheerful little kid with a curly black mop of hair that always seemed to be in the way of his brown eyes. They had played together as children but when she went to court at fifteen she no longer saw him except in passing and he did not seek out her company. They had not spoken more than a few words to each other in the past five years.

She dunked her head under the water one last time before pulling her self out of the tub. He would get her out of here. He had to.

Nuala was sitting by the fire reading when she came out. It was kind of chilly. She wouldn't be surprised if it was raining outside. Rhoswen glanced around the room looking for a window. A few brightly colored tapestries covered the walls but there were no windows. She frowned. There had not been any in the adjoining room either. Her stomach suddenly gave a loud rumble.

Nuala's angelic face broke into a smile. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess so." She followed Nuala out into the hall, its vaulted ceiling floating high above here head supported by thin columns built into the side of the walls. Still no windows but looking ahead she thought she saw light coming through the columns on the other side of the intersecting hallway. _The air is so damp I thought for sure it would be raining._

The far side of what she thought was a massive hall was open to the air but the view was not one of the surrounding landscape. Rhoswen stood in shock as she looked out at the various other levels of the underground city. She could hear an indistinct murmur of noise from countless discussions, craftsmen at work, and sellers hawking hundreds of goods echoing through the cavern. Beings she had not even known existed walked the streets and terraces. Unfamiliar sounds and smells rushed at her making her dizzy.

"Nuala where am I?"

The elf looked a little hesitant at the note of fear in the girl's voice.

Rhoswen turned on her. "Where am I Nuala?" she demanded. A couple of elves in guard uniforms pealed away from the wall but Nuala waved them back.

"You are in the hidden city of Bethmoora in the royal quarters," she explained. Rhoswen looked like she was close to fainting again.

"Are we underground?"

"Yes," Rhoswen's face went white but she stayed on her feet, "It's our winter home," Nuala explained. Rhoswen tried to remember to breathe. Since she was a child one of her greatest fears had been of being buried alive. Now it seemed like it was a reality. The only things keeping her together were the large open spaces and a determination not to humiliate herself by breaking down in public.

A horse whinnied on the causeway below drawing Rhoswen's eyes down. Her stomach flipped at the drop. A group of riders was heading out lead by the murderous bastard himself. The sight of him was enough for her anger to overtake her fear. "Where are they going?"

"They are going to assist the refugees making their way here. One of our cities was attacked by one of your king's men," Nuala said impassively.

Rhoswen silently watched them ride out. Maybe, if the gods were kind, justice would find the prince while he was out marauding. He just did not seem like the help the refugee type. She did not believe for one minute that that was all he was doing.

"Do you want to get some food?" Nuala's bright voice asked over her shoulder.

The building anger, being caught off guard in unfamiliar territory made it easy for things to slip out which she normally would not have said. "Nuala why do you care? You don't know anything about me except that I would happily see your brother's head on a pike for what he did to my father."

Nuala stepped up beside her. "I know you lost your father," she said quietly, "in one of the most horrible ways possible. I know you are in a place and among people you don't entirely understand and who you think are responsible for your father's death. And I know that if I were in your place I would want some one I could turn to. Some one who could, if not be a friend, then at least provide some comfort. That's all."

There was silence while Rhowen considered what the princess had said. Nuala's sincerity was clearly evident, either that or she was a stellar actress. She doubted that she could think of the prince's sister as a friend right now even though Nuala had been nothing but kind. To do so seemed like a betrayal to her father despite the fact that she had not been a part of what had happened. But then was not Nuala also betraying her own by extending a hand of friendship? She did not hate all humans for what the king's men were doing. Why should she blame Nuala for her brother's crimes?

"Alright then. Let's get something to eat."

After lunch Nuala took her on a tour of the palace complex which she was not allowed to leave. Everywhere else in the vast place from the library to the kitchens was open to her. All of the rooms seemed huge to her but were never cold feeling. Pointed archways supported by pillars with stone vines snaking up them adorned almost every entryway. Each was unique in design.

Of all the rooms available to her she liked the library the best. The wooden shelves and plush furniture in front of the crackling fireplace reminded her of home. It was here that she spent most of her time trying to figure out how Nuada had killed her father. At first it had seemed so simple, she did not know how the elves could not see it, but the more she thought about it the more obstacles she had to overcome to make her theories work.

The initial theory of Nuada opening the door and stabbing her father in the gut did not work. There were men outside who Nuada would first have had to kill. One of them should have been able to at least give a warning. Her father would not have opened the door for his attacker. But what if he had managed to take them out silently and then posed as the guard? Simply announcing that his daughter was outside would be enough for him to open the door. But why wouldn't he just order that she be brought in?

Around and around her thoughts chased themselves as she tried to make the scheme work. Nuala would sit and read while she would sit and think until she hit a dead end. Then they would play cards or go for a walk or do something to clear her head.

After several attempts she finally thought she had it. Nuala listened patiently while she explained. "So he just waited until my father was at the door to leave and then he threw it open and stabbed him."

Nuala frowned in thought. "Then how come the handle of the sword was protruding from his back and not his front."

Rhoswen's face fell. "Oh right. I forgot about that. Wait, how did you know that?"

Nuala looked slightly uncomfortable. "If I concentrate when I touch people I am able to read their thoughts. The night my brother came back my father asked that I read his thoughts to know whether or not he had acted justly."

"But you didn't touch him."

"My brother and I are twins. The bond linking us is so strong that I do not need to touch him in order to know his mind."

"So you know what he is thinking right now? You would know if something happened to him."

"No, it doesn't work at such a distance but I would know if something happened to him. We are linked in such a way that if he is injured then I bear that injury as well."

"But what if he died?"

"Then I would pass from this life as well."

Rhoswen looked at her in horrified speechlessness. Despite her reservations she and the princess had become companions. Could she bear the weight of an innocent life, the life of a friend, on her conscience if she proved the prince a murderer?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Weeks passed and still the riders did not return although messengers came every few days. The initial trickle of fey into the city had gradually picked up as word of more attacks spread. Some left their homes as a precaution while others had no where else to go as the winter cold set in. Guilt would gnaw at Rhoswen when she saw haggard looking trolls or injured goblins hobble through the gates carrying their possessions.

Others also passed through the gates in growing numbers. King Balor's nobles and other dignitaries from all manner of races rode by in fancy clothes, their servants seeing to the carts of teetering luggage.

It was during this time that Rhoswen noticed Nuala seeking out the sanctuary of the library more and more. Apprehension marred her normally calm demeanor. Rhoswen caught her reading the same page over and over and, when she thought she was not looking, biting her nails. Nuala waved off Rhoswen's concern but she was clearly troubled.

Finally Rhoswen would not take 'I'm fine' for an answer. "Nuala I'm worried about you. What is it?"

The princess sighed and put down the book she'd been trying to read. "We haven't had word from my brother in almost a week. In his last message he said that he had split up his force to cover more ground and get the healthy back to the city more quickly while he and the others protected the wounded as they could not move as fast. I'm worried something happened to him."

"From what I know of King Gilroy he would want to brag if he had a captive of such importance as your brother. You would have known if he had been taken prisoner." Rhoswen tried to reassure her.

"There's more. My father has called a gathering of his lords. He's made a point of inviting their children and of being open to the idea of one or both of his children being married."

"Well that's not necessarily a bad thing is it?"

"You don't understand, I don't exactly fit into the mold of what an elfin lady should look like." Nuala's discomfort was obvious. "I am invisible until my father mentions the word 'marriage' and then they all come out of the wood work."

Rhoswen wass surprised. "You're beautiful Nuala. You are more graceful and elegant than I'll ever be. That's for certain."

Nuala's cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink but tears still welled up in her eyes. "But this birth scar. Its part of me, its part of my family, but it makes me ugly in the eyes of my race. To be beautiful women are supposed to have peerless porcelain skin and I . . . I just want some one to talk to me for me, to love me for who I am, not because of my birthright."

"Well then we'll just have to find some one who can truly appreciate and love you." Rhoswen took her hands and looked her square in her watery eyes. "If a man can't look past your face and see the genuinely good person you are then he is not worth a second thought no matter who he is." Nuala's face broke into a smile as Rhoswen passed her a handkerchief.

The next day Rhoswen was alone in the library still trying to figure out how Nuada had managed to get in the room and have her father turn his back long enough to kill him. Her brain could not let the matter drop. She would not sacrifice Nuala, but she would show them that Nuada was not as innocent as they thought.

The only way that she could make the positioning work was if her father had entered the room to find Lord Morven dead and turned around to go back out for help when the prince had stabbed him. The only way he could have gotten into the room without alerting the guards was through a window. The trouble was that she could not remember what type of windows the room had, arrow slits or pained windows? There was no way even Nuada's lean frame could fit through an arrow slit but she simply could not remember what type of windows the room had.

"Excuse me," the elderly elf behind the archivist's desk looked up, "you wouldn't happen to have a drawing or a blueprint of the late Lord Morven's keep?" Rhoswen asked.

"Lord Morven?"

"Yes his keep was the one that the prince sacked a few weeks back. Do you have any drawings of it?"

"Everything on that venture was returned to the vault. The drawings have not yet been put into general circulation. Unfortunately you would have to go down there to view them," the elf said with a sorrowful finality.

Rhoswen was not discouraged. "That's fine. Is there some one down there that can help me?"

"Do you truly need to see these documents?" he asked clearly annoyed.

She frowned, "Yes I'm afraid so. I can find some one else to take me."

The old elf seemed to crumple in on himself. "No I am the head librarian. It is my responsibility." He reluctantly got to his feet and took hold of a lantern hidden in the desk. "This way please."

"Where are you going?" Nuala walked towards them, apprehension flashed in her eyes when she saw the lantern. "I thought we could go for a walk."

The librarian bowed. "Your highness."

"Sounds good. I just wanted to check something in the archives real quick first, okay?"

"What are you looking for?" Nuala looked apprehensive.

Rhoswen opened her mouth to answer when the librarian cut in, "Pictures of Lord Morven's keep my lady," the librarian bowed again.

Rhoswen glared at his bowing back, "Yes I wanted to look at the windows again."

Nuala caught on to what she was searching for. "And that is all you need? Can you think of anything else you need from the vaults?"

Rhoswen looked at her quizzically, "No. Nothing I can think of."

Nuala picked up her skirts and walked brusquely towards an unobtrusive door in the far wall. "Alright, let's get this done quickly."

The librarian looked appalled, "My lady there is no need - "

"I'm not letting you go down there by yourselves," she said taking another lantern and head down the circular stairway on the other side of the door.

"Nuala are you alright?" Rhoswen whispered as the wound their way ever downward. "You seem a little tense." The closeness of the stair case was making her claustrophobic. The openness of the well lit halls and terraces of the city had made the fact that they were underground bearable. If it had not been for the light and the company Rhoswen knew she could have never made it down.

"I'll explain when we reach the bottom."

Twenty minutes later the staircase opened into a large natural cave. Slowly dripping stalactites hung from the roof but the floor was smooth. The cold damp air made goose bumps rise on their bodies. Five hundred feet directly across from the stairs Rhoswen saw the giant roots of the tree which made King Balor's throne. They parted on either side of a wide opening before continuing into the earth. Rhoswen stared at the opening entranced. Nuala's sharp voice finally broke the spell.

"Rhoswen! Look – at – me. You have to ignore the pull of that place. It is not for you." The librarian stiffly sped past them to begin the process of unlocking the archive. He hunched over his work refusing to even look at the black hole behind him.

But wait, there was a light in there. She could see it. See them. Tearing her eyes away she forced herself to look at the ground. "What is it?"

"It's a resting place for those who have died. They lay in wait for the time when they will once again be brought to life."

"It's a grave yard?"

"Not in the way you are thinking. When elves die we do not decompose. Our bodies turn to stone. We were meant to be immortal and can only be killed by violence. Those ones in there were robbed of their time on this earth."

"But what if one of your people committed some horrible crime? Would he be killed? Would he still be laid to rest here?"

Nuala's voice grew quiet, "If the act was heinous enough then yes they would be put to death but they would not rest here. Their bodies would be smashed so they could never rise again."

_Rhoswen._

She looked over to the librarian but his attention was still focused on the locks.

_Rhoswen_.

There she heard it again but there was no one.

Nuala saw her glancing around. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Just an echo."

"Your highness I have it open," the librarian called.

"Just get what we need. We'll bring them upstairs."

Rhoswen could hear the door of the archives grind shut as they made their way back up the stairs. Everything seemed brighter in the light of the library. The hands of the librarian shook as he spread the piles of paper out on a table but color was starting to come back to his stark face.

Nuala was still grim. The cold dampness of the underground had seeped into her bones. She moved in front of the fire to drive the chill away while Rhoswen flipped through the sheets of paper. There they were, drawings and blue prints. She poured over them, her intense gaze searching for details on his lordship's private chamber. She stared at the drawings in disbelief. It was impossible, she refused to believe it. She cross checked the notes, the blue prints, they all said the same thing. The lord's chambers had arrow slits. There was no way anyone could have gotten into that room through the window. There was no way Nuada could have gotten into that room unnoticed.

Her mouth set in a hard line. She refused to believe it. There had to be a way, she was just not thinking hard enough.

"Princess!" the librarian shouted. Nuala's cry of pain drew her out of her denial. Rhoswen looked over right as the princess began to fall. She just managed to grab her under her arms before she hit the ground. Three golden blossoms began to bloom on her chest.

"Get a physican!" Rhoswen yelled as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"Nuada," Nuala gasped through her tears, "Something's happened to Nuada."


	11. Chapter 11

((Update: Anonymous Reviews are now enabled so feel free to review to your heats content. Also just to let you all know if you didn't already there is an online petition circulating to get a Nuada film made. Apparently Del Torro and Luke Goss both know about it and are open to the idea. There's even a trailer. Google Nuada petition, hidden realm entertainment because fan fiction is not letting me put the link here.))

Chapter Eleven

King Gilroy impatiently paced about his private receiving room waiting for his guest to arrive. It had taken him long enough to get here. He felt like he was running in mud. Everything was happening so slowly he could hardly stand it. The north should have risen by now.

A dark haired boy of about sixteen was brought to the doorway. Although he was tall and well built, he seemed to be drowning in the large fur cloak he wore. The fuzz of a new beard was starting to collect around his mouth and chin revealing his youth more than his maturity. Gilroy's face was a somber composition but inside he was wearing the smile of a predator.

"Lord Parlan allow me to again express my deepest condolences to you on the passing of your dear father. He was a great and trusted advisor. He will be sorely missed." He motioned for the boy to sit at the table.

"Your majesty is very kind, both now and in the letter you sent. I appreciate your sympathy both for the death of my father and the plight of my sister."

"If there's anything I can do to help facilitate her release do not hesitate to ask."

"First before we get into that I must clear up a misunderstanding. The council has not yet named a new Lord Parlan. The have merely dubbed me their spokes person while they debate," Quinn said hesitantly.

Gilroy's façade cracked as his tone sharpened. "What do you mean? Who are they looking at?"

Quinn's face took on a dark look, "They say that I am too young and inexperienced. You should have heard them when I asked them to name me lord and raise their armies to avenge my father. They would not lift a finger to hunt down his killers. I even showed them your pledge of support but to no avail."

Gilroy's mind churned at this new set back. "Travesty. Why would they not want justice?"

"They claim that the circumstances of his death are suspicious and that they want to investigate fully before rendering a final decision but I know why they are really stalling."

Gilroy leaned in conspiratorially, "Why's that?"

"It was this letter from that blasted elf king." Gilroy's eyes stayed on the letter Quinn slammed down on the desk. "He claims his son did not kill my father but how else did he wind up dead on the very night of the attack? After all the work and sacrifices my father has made to broker peace between the two kingdoms and this is how he is repaid?"

"May I?"

Quinn threw up his hands, "Yes go ahead and read the lies for yourself. Why those old men can't see it is beyond me."

Gilroy's eyes flew across the page. If those idiots thought they could quibble their way out of this war they had another thing coming. "You're right. Balor is clearly using your sister to stall for time so he can marshal his own forces. She's the only one who can confirm what we already know. The longer he has her the more he can prepare."

He looked Quinn in the eye, "You know my council, like yours, is full of tired old men who are scared of war because it threatens to bring the specter death even closer. I need men like you Quinn. Men who can see through the falsehoods that others aren't willing to question. I need you on my council."

"Your majesty's faith in my abilities is humbling. I must say it is refreshing to discuss these matters with some one who sees things the way you do. I would be honored to take a seat on the council however I am not yet made a lord and may never be."

"I have an idea. Send a letter to the elves demanding that one of the council members be allowed to see her in person and question her privately. That way you can rest assured she is still alive and being treated well and you can find out her version of events on the night in question. I have it on good authority from Lord Morven's daughter that Rhoswen was so furious at the king's son for the murder that she tried to kill him herself in a room full of guards. Rhoswen's testimony should be enough to sway the council into seeing the truth."

Quinn's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant your majesty! I'll see to it right away."

"Excellent." The men stood and clasped hands. "There's a war coming Quinn. I'll need you by my side."

"I know of no greater honor sire." The boy bowed as he left the room.

Gilroy sat back down and exhaled in frustration. "Alan," he said to his secretary, "get a message to our insider at Balor's court. Tell them that a diplomat from the Parlan clan will be arriving soon and that if they want the crown they will kill Rhoswen Parlan after the diplomat speaks with her but before he leaves. Impress upon them the importance of allowing the diplomat to speak to her first. Tell him to make it look intentional."

"Yes your majesty."

"If that won't push them to war I don't know what will," he said to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

((I couldn't leave ya hanging. It would have been too mean. A little aside about the song in here, its from a 1944 movie with Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald called _Going My Way_. I already had the idea for the chapter when I saw it and decided that I had to work it in. If your ever looking for a good old movie give this one or _The Quiet Man_ a world. And don't let the name John Wayne scare you off from _The Quiet Man_ either. He's a different actor once you get him out of westerns.))

Chapter Twelve

Rhoswen paced like a caged tiger on the walkway with the view of the main gate. Three days had passed since the princess had collapsed and still there was no word about Nuada. The hospitals could barely keep up with the number of wounded refugees now flooding into the city. She spent most of her time with Nuala, but also wanted to give her time alone and with her father. She had offered to help the nurses but most of those needing treatment wanted nothing to do with the half human hostage. Some had even become violent towards her. So she sat and watched or paced and waited hoping that Nuala would get better. The physicians said that she was stable but that she would only heal once Nuada's wounds had also been treated.

The sudden shouting and clattering of hooves was music to her ears. She leaned over the balcony easily spotting Nuada. He was riding unassisted but judging from his gaunt face he was clearly in pain. His right arm was wrapped around his torso like he was holding his insides together. She could hear him stubbornly refuse a stretcher as she ran back to the infirmary.

"The prince is here. He just got into the infirmary your highness."

King Balor got up from his daughter's bed side. "Will you please stay with my daughter until this is over? She will need some support."

"Absolutely." The king walked out to be with his son while Rhoswen made her way to Nuala's side.

"How did he look?"

"Not too terrible. Still obnoxiously stubborn." Nuala smiled.

A nurse knocked on the door. "We are going to start operating on the prince shortly. Arrows are lodged in two of the wounds. We must remove them in order for both of you to heal." She looked at Nuala, "I am sorry your highness but the process will be painful." Rhoswen blanched as three more nurses filed in each carrying water or bandages.

Five hours later it was done. Why they could not have knocked the twins out was beyond her. Nuala's grip had tightened on her hand as she tried not to scream but in the end it was no use. She could still hear her in her head. About an hour after they had stopped the bleeding Nuala had finally managed to nod off to sleep.

Rhoswen had taken the opportunity to walk the halls in an effort to pull her self together. She rested her head on the cool stone support of one an archway with a view of the children's infirmary below. Placing her shaking hands on the sill she concentrated on deep breathing hoping to slow her pounding heart.

The injustice of it all made her nauseous. No one as good as Nuala should have had to go through that much pain. She could not even find relief in the fact that Nuada had also suffered the same when she was not even sure he was guilty. She wanted him to be, had wanted to pin the blame on him from the moment she realized what had happened, but nothing fit. There was not a single likely scenario.

Movement from under where she stood caught her eye. She watched the prince walk down the isle between the beds studying the faces before finally finding who he was looking for.

Nuada had not known if the boy would be here, but was glad he had found him. He was part of a group of children they had found hiding in the forest. He sat up as Nuada approached him looking apprehensive. "Did you find my mother?"

He sat down on the boy's bed. "Yes Bryn we did. I am so sorry but we did not get there in time to save her. We were able to get your father out." The children had been held with the women in one building while the men were kept in another. It was a trap set up on hopes of luring the elves back into the city and then picking them off from the roof tops. Realizing that they were going to die if they did not escape, the women had managed to break a small hole in the wall one night. The children were able to escape but when the guards realized what was going on they hung the women in the town square.

"I should have stayed with her. It was my responsibility while father was away," he cried.

"I know what it is like to lose a mother and believe me her death is not your fault. Only her killers bear that guilt." Or would have if he had let them live. The cost of retaking the town had been heavy. His own burden of guilt to bear. "You'll see your father tomorrow. If you ever need anything do not hesitate to ask." He stood up to leave

"Do you know Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra?" Bryn asked.

"Yes, my mother sang it to me when I was young."

"Could you sing it now?"

The prince smiled.

Rhoswen was watching them out of the corner of her eye when she heard a soft warm voice drift up to her.

"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li. . . "

Her heart stopped when she heard the song. He mother had sung it to her when she was little. She hadn't heard it in ages. She stared at him straining to hear the words as they floated away on the air. It was odd watching him with this boy. He was good with him, trying to comfort him. She had not thought that he would do well with children, but then she had also thought that he was not one to risk his life for some refugees. It suddenly hit her that she really did not know this person at all. Her gaze refocused and she found herself looking directly into a pair of glowing amber eyes.

_No he saw me! Gods kill me now._ Indecision froze her on the spot. She was mortified and had no idea why. _Why can't I look away?_ He wasn't looking away either. His face was unreadable. Drawing a breath broke the taunt line holding her to the spot. She turned and ran like a scared rabbit down the hall not stopping until she reached her room and was safe behind the door.


	13. Chapter 13

((A little bit longer wait for this one but I think it's worth it. You know how I mentioned earlier on that I was a few chapters ahead of what's being published? That lead is being slowly eaten away hence a little bit longer wait for the new stuff. I am still going to try to post at least two times a week but I do have other claims on my time as well. So if you get bored, feel free to check out my profile page (yes I finally got around to putting something there) for books, music, and other things to pass the time.))

Chapter Thirteen

The next day Rhoswen peered out her door down both ends of the hallway before covertly making her way towards the princess's room. She carried a couple of books that Nuala had requested from the library. If it weren't for the delivery she might have hid in her room all day. She walked quickly keeping close to the wall so she could duck into a room at any sign of the prince.

She knew she was being ridiculous but she didn't care. She could not face him again. He probably hated her for accusing him of such crimes. She had called him out in front of god and everybody questioned his morals, his honor, his character, and, as much as she did not want to believe it, she had been wrong. The whole thing made her nauseous.

Hearing a faint "Come in" in response to her knock she entered the princess's room.

"Nuala I found two of the three you asked for but -" Rhoswen looked up and stuttered to a stop when she saw the prince sitting at her bedside.

An uncomfortable silence stretched on as Rhoswen tried to make something coherent come out of her mouth. "I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll just put these on the table and leave you."

"Nonsense Rhoswen stay," Nuala said.

"No really, I don't want to intrude." Desperately she tried to make her escape but to no avail.

"I insist." Nuala's voice rang with finality. Nuada frowned at her but Nuala remained resolute. It was rare moments like these when Nuala insisted that Rhoswen thought she could actually be one of the most devious beings in existence. She reluctantly took the chair on the other side of the bed across from Nuada who watched her, studied her, the entire time. Awkward did not even begin to cover it.

"So are you feeling better today?" she asked fishing for a topic.

"Yes. The physicians say that I should be back to my old self in a week." She smiled. "Nuada as well."

"Sooner than that," Nuada said.

"I have to tell you that I am amazed you are not in bed right now," Rhoswen said.

"He always was stubborn," Nuala looked up at him and smiled causing him to give a half smile in return.

Half an hour of stilted conversation and Rhoswen couldn't take any more. "I think I'll be going. I forgot . . . something, an overdue book and you know I'm not on the best terms with the librarian after my last request so I will just stop by again later, okay?" she said in a rush.

"I'll walk you out," Nuada rose.

"No, no need your highness." Her hand was already on the door.

"I insist."

_Damn these insistent elves!_ She forced a smile but he did not return it. _Great_. They were a fair distance from one another but she was still uncomfortable. "Thank you your highness," she bobbed, "Good day."

"Wait, please, I wanted to talk to you."

She was all set for a clean get away but the please stopped her in her tracks. Among other things she had also assumed he was not one who said please very often. "What about your highness?"

"I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of my sister. She has said that you were a great comfort to her. I also realized, rather belatedly, that I had not expressed my sympathy at the passing of your father. At the time I believed you would have seen it as rude sarcasm but I did want to let you know that I am sorry."

She swallowed. "Why? Why now?"

"Well you did not go running from the room. I thought that was a good indication that you might be receptive."

She felt her cheeks flush. Now was as good a time as any. She tried to work up the courage but decided to just come out with it and hope for the best, "Your majesty I really need to apolo-"

"Nuada!" Both of them turned to see the most divinely beautiful elf run towards them her silver hair streaming back behind. The way the flowing dusky purple material of her dress moved gave the effect of her floating towards them. Although Nuala was very modest, Rhoswen had never seen that low of a neckline on any elf. Suddenly she understood Nuala's worries about appearance. This woman's skin was like the palest porcelain and without a single imperfection.

"Liam told me you had been injured," the way she touched his chest suggested more than mere concern, "I came as soon as I heard. You should be in bed."

His voice took on a warm tone that she had only ever heard him use with his sister, "Lavinia you need not have worried. I'm fine," Nuada smiled at her and gestured to Rhoswen, "I don't think you've meet the newest member of our court."

Her tone became slightly sour, "No I don't believe I have." Her eyes became hard as she glared at this girl. Rhoswen got the message loud and clear that Lavinia had staked a claim on Nuada and would scratch out anyone's eyes who tried to steal him away. _No worries there_.

"Lady Rhoswen meet Lady Lavinia."

Lavinia dropped her hands from Nuada to briefly return the girl's courtesy. "A pleasure to meet you," she immediately turned her back on Rhoswen cutting her out of the conversation with Nuada. "Now we really must get you into bed prince. You don't want to have a longer recovery because you over did things early on."

Nuada's voice took on a slightly terse tone. "I am fine Lavinia. Perhaps you would like to see my sister?"

"Oh dear Nuala! I forgot about your little bond, yes. So very inconvenient for you and so very dangerous for her. Of course I must see her immediately. Will you take me to her please?" She looked up at him with glowing hopeful amber eyes.

"Yes, certainly. I just need to finish with something here."

"Oh Nuada please. I have not seen her in ages and almost losing such a friend that I've known for so long. I can hardly bear the thought of it."

Rhoswen didn't know how Lavinia could pull of the crying pouting fake sincerity and make it look genuine but she did. She could sense the upcoming brush off. It was fine. She really did not want to have to apologize to Nuada in front of this woman any way.

"Your highness we can continue this later if you wish."

"Oh Rhoswen you are too kind," she said in a honeyed voice not even bothering to look at her when she spoke.

"I think that would be best," Nuada said. Incredulity flashed briefly across Lavinia's face as she watched the heir to Bethmoora give the girl a small nod. His face was impassive as he watched her go but still it was disturbing. She made a mental note to find out everything she could about that girl and twist it into something ugly.

"Shall we go your highness?" she pressed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Time flew by in a flurry of activity. Nuala was back on her feet in the nick of time. Lords and ladies were pouring into the hidden city and Nuala and Nuada were on hosting duty.

It was one of Nuada's least favorite part of his life and why he voluntarily went on so many outings. He only saw these people once, maybe twice, a year for a few days at a time. Even though it was obvious they all wanted something, it was his duty to see to the welfare of his people even if it meant putting up with some lickspittles.

Nuada let his attention drift from the conversation going on around him when he saw his sister coming back from the market leading a troop of ladies. He frowned as the paraded past him. The bolder ones smiled provocatively while others just glanced sheepishly in his direction.

His father must have had something to do with this. Every time he thought his children should be married there suddenly was a state function and every noble muckety-muck and their children were invited. All were wearing inviting new gowns designed to catch the eye and draw it toward their assets. He was sure his father meant well but love was difficult enough to find without having to weed through corps of pretenders. A long standing arranged marriage would have been so much easier.

He suppressed a sigh of exasperation. Tonight was yet another get together between his "men" and his sister's ladies. He felt like a lone deer amidst a starving wolf pack. He had not even been able to get a word with his sister the last two times. Tempting though it was to suddenly come down with acute indigestion, his father had announced he would be there making it impossible to avoid the occasion.

Thank the gods Lavinia would be there. She was always so stunningly beautiful. Whenever he was to the point of getting overwhelmed she would sweep into the conversation, bring up their time together as children, and within minutes he found himself at ease again. It was on this past occasion when he asked her how she was adjusting to life at court again that she had seemed troubled. She had said that one of his sister's ladies was sullen towards her and that she was difficult to get along with. She would not say who it was even though he had pressed her for more information. He knew there was more going on, he could sense as much from the tone of her voice. Tonight he would get the whole truth out of her.

Up in her rooms Nuala faced a constant battle with Lavinia over control of her ladies. Much to Rhoswen's chagrin Lavinia seemed to be winning. Lavinia was careful not to overly flaunt her position, but it was clear from the myriad of little snubs in the past few days that she was confident in her authority as queen bee. For example the other day Nuala had been near tears when she returned from the market. The simple shopping trip was hijacked by Lavinia who led the other ladies hither and yon not bothering to wait for Nuala. When Nuala had demanded that they head back to the palace Lavinia and the ladies had stalled and dawdled making it back to the palace on their own sweet time.

Rhoswen could do nothing but comfort her friend and glare at the laughing group of women perched around the window at the far side of the room, Lavinia at their center. She would whisper something and they would all burst out laughing. Only a couple ladies not willing to choose sides sat near the princess.

"Next time do us all a favor and leave them at the market," Rhoswen growled. The corner of Nuala's mouth lifted slightly. At least she had not fled the room crying when she returned. It would have been much harder to stand up to Lavinia then.

"I hate these social things my father sets up," Nuala whispered.

"You just need to put Lavinia in her place."

"How?"

Rhoswen was not quite sure. Liam, the captain of Nuala's guards, leaned over her shoulder causing her to draw back. As Lavinia's brother he had every bit as much masculine beauty as she had feminine, but he made her skin crawl in a way that Lavinia never could. He had a charm and charisma that seemed to draw ladies to him. It wasn't until after he was done with them that saw him for the weasel he was. Rhoswen had seen his type before at court and they had nauseated her then too.

"Do you need anything before I go your highness?" he asked.

She smiled up at him, "No Liam. Thank you." He bowed and walked away.

"Nuala do you have feelings for him?" she asked when Liam was out of earshot.

A light pink hue crept up her neck. "Maybe." She whispered. "What do you think of him?"

Not wanting to come right out and crush her friend's hopes she tried to be gentle. "I think he is very handsome, but I'm not sure about his character. Your brother has known him awhile hasn't he? What does he think?"

Nuala grimaced, "Nuada does not approve of him but then he never approves of any one I am interested in. If it were up to him I would never marry. Why do you dislike him? Has he done something?"

"Well, no. I just get this . . . bad feeling whenever he's around. It's like he's plotting something behind that smile of his."

Nuala chuckled. "I think you just need to give him a chance. He can be truly kind once you get to know him. Besides I think we can agree that you are not exactly the best initial judge of character."

_A little defensive are we? _"Perhaps." She let the conversation shift elsewhere.

That night as the court gathered Rhoswen studied Lavinia. Now that she was paying attention she could see how she was gaining the ladies' loyalty. Lavinia would make introductions to the eligible bachelors of the court all the while hanging back from Nuada. She would wait while the others pressed in and crowded around him asking him about his opinion on trade, politics, asking for favors, introducing their daughters or sisters, not giving him an inch of breathing room until she walked over. As if on cue the ladies left taking half the men with them. Unsure of what to do, the rest would leave then or shortly after Lavinia had the prince's full attention. It was all very nicely done she thought to herself watching them walk towards an alcove.

Nuada did not waste any time once they were alone. "Lavinia we have been friends a long time. I wish you would trust me with what's troubling you."

Lavinia looked uncomfortable, "It's nothing, really, and I do not want to cause any problems between you or your sister."

"If it involves my family I should probably know about it."

"It's nothing bad. In fact I probably should not have even bothered you with it but we used to be such close friends, the three of us. Now there's this wedge between Nuala and me and I do not know how to fix it."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

Concern shown from her face, "She's become cold towards me. We do not confide in each other like we used to we do not even talk together much anymore. And it's not just me. All of the ladies are shut out except one."

"Who?"

She looked away, "Rhoswen Parlan is the only one close to your sister now, even though she causes such stress and tension between us all. I am sure you've felt it coming from your sister. Rhoswen invents these slights that we have made against Nuala and turns her against us. Nuala is forever in her company. They are always alone talking. Every time I or one of the other ladies approaches they stop talking or change the subject. I don't know what to do." She was close to tears.

He put his arm around her, "This is outrageous. Why did you not come to me? I could have talked to Nuala before it got this out of hand."

"It gets worse Nuada. I did not want to hurt you but I think it is too late for that. I think Rhoswen is trying to alienate your sister from you too. I've heard that she's tried convincing your sister that you murdered her father in cold blood. At first she did not heed her stories but now. . . I think they are starting to warp her mind," she said in a scared voice. She watched in satisfaction as Nuada's face darkened in anger.

Rhoswen was talking with a group of courtiers when Nuada appeared at her shoulder. "May I speak with you a moment?"

"Sure." She excused herself and followed him to a corner. "I've actually been wanting to talk to you for a while but haven't had the chance." She took a deep breath, "I wanted to apologize for-"

His flat dead voice cut her off, "Spare me your apologies. What you have done is detestable."

Taken off guard she could only sputter, "What?"

"Trying to isolate my sister from her family and friends, trying to taint her mind against me. It's sick."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She had never seen him so livid. It was truly frightening.

"Really?" he asked in mock disbelief. "Do you deny that you tried to convince Nuala that I murdered your father?"

"I spoke to her about the circumstances surrounding his death on occasion but that was weeks ago and-"

"Are the two of you often off keeping yourselves away from the company of the other ladies, Nuala's friends?"

Rhoswen was beginning to get annoyed at being cut off. "We are forced to be alone because-"

He over rode her again, "And do you deny that on numerous occasions you have berated the conduct of the other ladies to my sister, especially that of her dear friend Lady Lavinia?"

_So that's where he got this from_. Her anger rose, "Yes I fully admit my guilt on that charge but the rest should be laid at the feet of dear Lavinia."

"How can walk beside Nuala and claim to be her friend when you alienate her from the rest of the world with your hateful lies?" he asked outraged.

"How can you be so oblivious to her misery and claim to be her brother? She has been picked at incessantly by her ladies for days and you could not take five minutes to figure out what was wrong? I know about your connection. You must have felt that something was off."

"Well I see the truth of the matter now. The damage you have done has been great but I'll remedy that now. Do not go near my sister again."

She could not stop her voice from rising, "I haven't done anything wrong! Just ask her."

"You are in no position to give me orders. You are a hostage who, like all your people, has taken advantage of our leniency. No more. You are restricted to the third floor of the east wing where your rooms are now. A guard will make sure you stay there and do not contact my sister again."

"This is ridiculous," she turned to go find Nuala to have her explain but Nuada grabbed her arm.

He leaned in menacingly and lowered his voice, "Perhaps I did not make myself clear. Leave now or you will join your father in the afterlife." She froze and he released her arm. "Leave and do not show your face to me or my sister again."

Lavinia watched in satisfaction as Rhoswen turned and walked out the door as steadily as she could with her heart pounding. Upon rounding the corner she broke into a run.

"Look at my brave protector chasing away that nasty obstacle," Lavinia smiled and turned to Liam. "Happy hunting little brother."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"_Where is he?_"

The irate voice echoed through the doorway. Nuada groaned inwardly, bracing himself as Nuala stormed through the doors of his study, his secretary bowing apologetically behind her. _"What did you do Nuada?"_

"_Leave us,"_ he said to the secretary while he shuffled the reports on the large ornate desk in front of him.

"_Nuada!"_

"_I don't know to what you're referring."_

"_The mountain trolls guarding Rhoswen or rather playing jailers to her. Explain yourself!"_

"_What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"_

"_Do not pretend you had no part in this. The whole thing reeks of you. Mountain trolls, really?"_

Nuada sighed, "There was no time for other arrangements."

"I asked Liam what was going on. He said you ordered us kept separated?"

Curse that fool's wagging tongue. "Yes."

"Why?" she demanded, hands on hips.

"Because your time does not need to be monopolized by one person. You have other ladies, other friends, who wonder why you no longer talk to them."

Nuala scoffed but he was not deterred, "Old friends. Like Lady Lavinia. Nuala we are just looking out for your welfare."

_So that's the impetus behind this_. Her voice became gentler as she tried to make him see, "You should have come to me first. I could have explained the situation. Rhoswen is the only true friend I have amongst my ladies."

He shook his head. "I know it may seem like that now but after a few days you'll see-" he trailed off at the sound of a group approaching.

King Balor strode through the door. His face was a stern stone mask as he looked at his son. "Explain yourself,"

"What do you mean?"

"Abruptly treating our guest as a prisoner, possibly ruining the inroads your sister has worked so hard to build. What were you thinking?"

"She was poisoning Nuala against her friends and her family. It had to be stopped," he protested.

"What proof do you have of this?" he demanded.

"The word of one of her ladies. And Nuala's behavior recently, only keeping company with the girl, never not having her around."

"Yes, your sister has told me of the situation and from all accounts I've heard they are simply good friends. You have overstepped your bounds Nuada. I decide how people are treated under my roof. You are to accept that and show them the same consideration."

His father exhaled, "I will temporarily take over your duties with our other guests. You will focus all your attentions on making amends. I have already dismissed the guards. You need to find her and apologize," he commanded. "The northern council is sending a delegation to check on the girl. They arrive in two days. I pray you are able to fix the damage by then."

It seemed as though he could do nothing right these days he thought to himself as he stalked the halls searching for the girl. She was not in her rooms or the library. It was not as if he had actually done anything wrong. He had not killed Lord Parlan, he was being falsely accused. He was just trying to protect his family. Now he was forced to coddle this human half breed who was spreading lies about him. How was that fair?

She sat there on the roof of the palace wrapped in a blanket. The chilly breeze whistled through the cracks in the earthen ceiling hovering above her head. She had discovered this place just after she first arrived when she started exploring. The wind and the space made everything seem more open. It made the fact that she was underground more bearable. Not that the rooms of the palace were claustrophobic, they were fine, gorgeous in fact, but the inescapable stillness of the air had at times been almost as bad as being locked in a small dark room with no windows. She missed the wind.

Unable to track down the girl he had come here to vent, to let go of his frustration and find his center again. No one was ever up here, the roof was his place, his haven from the demands of life.

Just setting foot up here made him feel lighter. . . until he saw her. Of all the places she had to venture. It was too late to go back, she knew he was here. He bottled up his frustration and attempted to make this as quick and painless as possible.

His formal voice broke the silence. "Lady Rhoswen?" Her expressionless face turned towards him. "I feel I must apolo-"

"Save your words prince. We both know you don't mean them." She stood.

"You will not even hear what I have to say?"

"Is it really what you have to say or is it what you are hoping I would believe so I don't tell my brother some grisly story about how you murdered my father?"

Astounded by her frankness he said nothing.

She locked eyes with him, "Because I know you didn't do it. I know you did not kill him. In fact, fool that I was, I was trying to apologize to you for misjudging you the last time we spoke. It was you who would not hear what I had to say then. Why would I grant you that courtesy now?"

"Because I am asking you to."

His audacity knew no bounds. "You arrogant ass. The great elf prince speaks and all peons must listen or face his eternal wrath. If you want people to bother with what you have to say perhaps you should treat them with an iota of decency. Maybe then they would believe you when you fake an apology."

He watched her back as she headed down the stairs and he was left alone with his thoughts. He had not given her credit for being so perceptive. Not that her criticisms of his character were in any way legitimate. His sister's well being was certainly more important than her hurt feelings. Certainly. Despite his best efforts to block them out, her words continued to play on his mind as he gazed out over the city.


	16. Chapter 16

((Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I took a little last minute trip. In other news, I was poking around on you tube and found an awesome Nuada video. I highly recommend it. The timing is pretty much perfect and the music totally fits. The video is by Beatriche87 and is called Prince Nuada Battle Style. Just search the title it should come up.))

Chapter Sixteen

Rhoswen pretended to read while she paced from chair to chair in the library. Her main mission was shooting death glares at Nuada behind Nuala's back. Maybe if she made him as uncomfortable as he made her he would leave her alone. So far he'd only once returned her glare before going back to the papers in front of him.

"Rhoswen can you sit down for five minutes? Your back and forth is driving me crazy."

"Sorry Nuala." She plopped down in chair next to her.

It was all very awkward. She had hoped things would just go back to the way they were, but now Nuada was around more and more. Not that he said much to anyone besides Nuala. Even some of the other ladies were growing tired of him. She drummed her fingers on the book she was too distracted to read.

The Chamberlain shuffled up to the small group and bowed. "Lady Rhoswen the delegation from the council is here to see you," he flexed his long thin fingers, "this way please.

Rhoswen leapt up. She could've kissed the Chamberlain then and there. "Nuala I'll see you at the ball tonight," she shot one last glare at Nuada, "Your highness. Lead on Chamberlain."

"What do you think she'll tell them?" Nuada asked when she'd gone.

Nuala looked up at him as he watched her leave the room. "I would say the truth."

He snorted, "You have far more faith than I."

"You would have more faith if you knew her."

He rolled his eyes. "I need to return some things. Excuse me."

Nuala marked the aisle he went down before approaching Lavinia's turned back. It was now or never. "Lavinia come with me for a minute I need to speak with you," she said keeping her voice light.

"What about?"

"Privately please." She made for a specific aisle glancing over her shoulder to make sure Lavinia followed.

"What do you want?" she asked once they stopped amongst the shelves of books.

"I want to know what you said to my brother."

"About what?" she asked all innocence.

"About Rhoswen."

"Oh that. It was nothing personal. I just don't think she's the right kind of person for you to be spending all your time with. After all I care about you Nuala."

"We both know that's not true," she leaned closer, "How could you tell him those lies? Especially now with so much depending how they perceive one another? You could have started a war!"

Lavinia affected astonishment, "Really dear I think you're over reacting."

It wasn't working. She needed to go all in or Lavinia would never blow up like she needed her to. "Over reacting? I think I'll just go tell Nuada all about your meddling and how you've treated me. Then we'll see who over reacts."

Lavinia grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away. "Try it," she said threateningly, "and you will regret it. Stand in my way and I'll have your precious Liam removed from court. I will personally make sure you never see him again." Nuala's eyes went wide.

"What's going on?" Nuada asked as he came around the corner taking in Lavinia's hold on his sister. He never seen Lavinia's features twisted in such a way before. She looked almost feral.

When Lavinia saw who it was her face brightened and she dropped he hand from Nuala but his sister still looked shaken. "Oh nothing. Just small talk between friends." Nuada thought the cheerful note in her voice a little strained. "Right Nuala?"

"Nuala why don't you go back to the others while I speak with Lady Lavinia? I'll be with you in a moment." His eyes did not move from Lavinia as his sister nodded and left.

"What was that?" he asked in a flat angry voice.

Her eyes took on a wide innocence, "I was just defending myself. She accused me of telling you lies. Lies about Rhoswen. I tried to make her see that I was acting out of concern for her well being but she refused to even consider my position. It is beyond me why she cannot see what is so plain to everyone else."

Nuada continued to eye her critically. "You don't think I was actually trying to hurt her do you?" she asked in disbelief. "Nuada?"

He wanted so much to believe her, to chalk it up to a moment of anger. Gods knew he himself had wanted to shake some sense into Nuala on occasion but he had restrained himself. She had been his life long friend but the vicious look on her face as she spoke to Nuala kept replaying in his mind. It was most definitely not friendly. He honestly did not know what to do.

"Do not lay your hands like that on my sister again," he warned.

"Nuada I'm sorry."

"It is not me to whom you should be apologizing."

Lavinia fumed as the prince walked away. That little bitch. She had walked right into her trap. She hadn't thought Nuala capable of pulling off such a trick but now her eyes were open. _The princess should beware of those far more devious then herself_, she thought to herself as she made her way back to the others.

Rhoswen's face broke into a smile when Baron Teire came into view. Seven years her senior she had always looked up to him like an older brother. "Lord Teire. It has been a while." A little bit of gray was beginning to encroach on the brown of his hair and his short beard but he still had the brightness of youth about him.

They sat at a table chatting about inconsequential things until the guards left with the Chamberlain. "Now then. Have they been treating you fair?" He asked.

"Yes. Better then I expected actually." She folded her hands in her lap.

He nodded his head, his gray eyes studying her like a hawk, searching for any hint of coercion in her answer but finding none. "Well you certainly look fit. Your uncle will be glad to hear of it. The council too." He paused, "I hate asking you this Rhos, bringing back unpleasant memories, but we have to know. Did Balor's son kill your father?"

"No," she said without hesitation, "he did not."

His eyes locked on hers, "You're certain now?"

"I wanted it to be him. So badly. But the evidence did not fit no matter how hard I tried to make it."

"What evidence?"

And so it began. He asked her questions about ever little detail. Where was she? When? What did she see? What did she know happened? No not guessed know, had seen with her own two eyes? Where was the body? Where was the blood? Was she certain about the positioning of the knife? Wait sword? Sorry, my mistake. And how long between when you fled and when you were captured? And who was there? And who was in the room when you saw your father? Was Lord Morven there? When did he die? Had she seen it happen? Question after question slightly twisting the facts so that Rhoswen would have to keep on her toes and correct him and then repeat subtly different questions interspersed with new ones to throw her off guard. What did she know of the prince? Why did she think he was guilty? And round they'd go again.

Rhoswen pinched the bridge of her nose trying to fight back a pounding headache. Her patience was gone. Why had she been looking forward to this man's arrival again? "You have asked me that same question five times now!" she growled.

"We do have to be certain. There are grave implications either way this thing goes. If Nuada did not do it as you say then the only other culprit is Morven. It tracks, they openly despised one another, but Morven would have never acted unsanctioned."

"What do you mean? You don't think the king is behind this?" she whispered in disbelief. "Morven I could see but, would Gilroy really risk angering the north?"

Teire suddenly looked tired, older. "The 'north' as you put it has changed much these past few months. We are no longer united as we once were. Lord Parlan held us together. That's why the council originally elected to have one leader named by them. The council is still holding together, sure, but the fractures are getting more noticeable the longer this drags out."

"I don't understand. Why hasn't a new Lord been named?"

"Traditionally we would have gone with your brother, Quinn, but he's been gone so much at court that none of us really knows him. And he is a bit young yet to take power. Young and eager for war with the elves. Not all of us share his enthusiasm. That's why we decided to hold off, to hear what you had to say on your father's death." He rubbed the stubble coating his jaw, "Now it looks like he'll never be Lord Parlan."

"Quinn will be furious."

He waved it off. "Psh, the boy can rail all he wants, naught will come of it. Oh he has some support amongst the younger lordlings but not enough to overcome the old guard."

"Who are they looking at instead?"

"Your uncle Tristain is the main contender."

"He's a hard man."

"Yes but he is just and he keeps the old ways. We want some one who will stand up to the king, not cater to him."

He certainly would not disappoint there she thought. "So what happens now? Do I get to go home?" she asked hopefully.

"No we would like you to stay here for now. The situation with King Gilroy is . . . precarious. The council, and your uncle, would like to propose a new stronger alliance with King Balor. We plan on breaking away from Gilroy entirely and governing ourselves the way we have for centuries. The boundaries of the old pact stand, but now, instead of remaining neutral, we'll agree to come to the defense of the other should Gilroy attack either one of us. If he provokes a war we would band together to defeat him."

"Sounds reasonable," she said hesitantly. She got the feeling there was more to this plan.

"If they agree, you will wed Balor's son to make the alliance binding."

Rhoswen burst out in laughter. "You can't be serious?" Teire frowned. "Well for gods sakes I can't stand him. Surely my uncle has some other relation who would be better suited to the match?"

He shook his head, "Tristain has no children. You and Quinn are his closest relations. Quinn's unwavering dislike of the elves makes him a bad candidate while you, on the other hand, are half elfish yourself. You are more adept at fitting into their culture and you and the prince are more likely to have a similar life span extending the life of the alliance."

"Have you actually spent a good deal of time amongst elves? They're pretty insular. They do not see me as one of them they see me as a human. If it wasn't for Nuala I would be by myself. Besides Nuada despises me. He'd never accept such a proposal."

He shrugged, "It's not up to you or I. It is the council and Lord Parlan's decision. Accept their will or not, it makes no difference. But think on this, you have the ability to secure the welfare of your people. Will you let them suffer and die for your own selfishness?"

She couldn't believe he was playing that card, "That's not fair."

"Such is life," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

((Longest chapter yet. I was going to try to break it up but couldn't find any good spots to do it so you get it all. Bad news is that you are caught up with where I am writing wise which means I gotta get cracking. I also have an idea for a short (ha!) Balor centered story that would provide some backstory to this fic. We'll see what happens. I never intended this one to go on so long, but like I said before, I wanted to do it right with plot and character development and all that good stuff. We'll see if I actually achieve that goal. I hope I do. I appreciate y'all taking the time to read my fic, and really appreciate the reviews. They help me stick with it.))

Chapter Seventeen

Rhoswen leaned against a secluded pillar, arms crossed, watching the dancers glide by at the ball King Balor had arranged to entertain his guests. Under normal circumstances she would have been out on the floor smiling and dancing with everyone, but tonight she had no desire to go out there, plaster a smile on her face, and pretend to be enjoying herself.

She was even wearing some of her own clothes, finally. Teire had surprised her with a beautiful white gown. The beading was exquisite. She would have been thrilled had she not known that it was all part of a plot to ensnare a certain some one. She hated being used. Knowing that her friends and family were in on it only made the cut deeper. Quinn hadn't even sent her a note. She felt cut off from every one, isolated, alone.

Instead of inflicting her sour mood on others, she had found an inconspicuous spot and hid. She just wanted to be alone, but that hadn't stopped some from searching her out. Lavinia had briefly stopped by. She'd made a face at her dress, "You know white is a terrible color on you."

Rhoswen kept watching the dancers, "Really? I've been told it looks quite nice on me. I suppose it helps not having the coloring of a corpse."

Lavinia had made some outraged noise and stormed away. Not even her hissy fit could lift Rhoswen's mood. Spotting Nuala out amongst the dancers had almost made her smile. _Good for her. She looks happy at least_. The beginnings of a lighter feeling had been crushed when she recognized her partner. _Not Liam! Anyone but him. _Nuala smiled and spun, blithely unaware of the death glare Rhoswen was giving her partner. There was nothing else she could do at that point.

The unexpected sound of a sigh of frustration brought her eyes to the pillar next to her. _Perfect. Can't he lurk elsewhere? _Nuada was also staring at Liam with contempt. His eyes moved briefly to her acknowledging her presence. Unwilling to be on the receiving end of the waves of angry tension rolling off him, Rhoswen began to scan the room for new hiding places.

Nuada stared at Liam wishing he could smack the smile off his face. Removing a few teeth in the process would be a nice bonus. He'd come up here to escape Lavinia, something he had never thought he would want to do, but he was so unsure about her now. He didn't know that person he'd seen grab his sister in the library, had never seen an inkling of that in her before. He wanted to forget about it but it kept gnawing at his mind making him uneasy.

He had tried to avoid her but she kept seeking him out. So he'd come here only to be confronted with Rhoswen. Again. Another person he was none too thrilled with. He had spoken with Nuala and listened while she defended the girl. He did not know what to believe about her. What if Lavinia was lying about her? It seemed more and more likely that was the case. What if Nuala had been duped? It was happening right in front of his eyes with Liam. What if it was the same with Rhoswen? He didn't know. Right now he was more concerned about getting his sister away from her dance partner.

He glanced at Rhoswen. He was surprised to find her also staring daggers at Liam. Perhaps there was a way he could do something about the overly persistent bastard.

Back corner on the left side of the dance floor was vacant but hidden behind a wall of people. Perfect. Rhoswen gathered her dress in one hand, bobbed in the prince's direction and made a break for it.

His soft voice stopped her. "Lady Rhoswen, a moment?"

She made a face before turning back to him. "Yes."

"I couldn't help but notice your distaste for my sister's dance partner."

She raised an eyebrow.

He stepped closer to her. "It is a sentiment I share. I was wondering if you would help me do something about it."

"We actually agree on something?" she paused in shock, "What kind of help?" she asked skeptically. He couldn't be serious.

"Just for a few moments then you can go back to your evening. I would consider it a favor," his teeth set on edge as the words came out of his mouth. He hated owing people, especially humans.

Rhoswen weighed her options, "I'll make you a deal. I will help you get Nuala away from Liam if you help me get a book back to the librarian. I'll call it an even exchange."

Though the deal would put them on even footing he was still loath to accept it. His promise was binding. He detested being bound to some one almost as much as he hated being in their debt. His body went still as he looked back at his sister in time to see Liam tenderly brush some of her hair behind her ear.

"Done."

"How are we doing this?" She narrowed her eyes at his sidelong look. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

She followed Nuada to the edge of the dance floor. The back of her neck heated up as several pairs of eyes turned to her and the prince. _As if I did not stick out enough already_. She really was not up for making a display of herself. "Can't we just lure him into a corner and knock him out?"

He wished it were that simple. "That would be a little conspicuous, don't you think?" He held out a hand to her.

_Like this isn't_. Her anxiety peaked as she took his hand and he led her out onto the floor. It was very awkward being this close to him. Her mind and body froze under the weight of the scrutiny directed at them. She knew the steps but couldn't make her feet move the right way. Nauda tried to turn her one way but she was going the other. Several times she stepped on his feet. _This is a nightmare! _Embarrassment fed on her anxiety only making it worse. She could feel heat radiating from her face, the pressure of angry tears building up behind her eyes. She looked up to see Lavinia's smug smile. Distracted she ended up gut checking Nuada.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said, flustered and trying to hold back tears as he slowly exhaled. "I'm making fools of us both. You need to get some one else to help you because I'm hopeless."

He held her back when she tried to flee. If she had been faking her fear he would have been furious, but he had felt her shaking, seen the scared look in her eyes. He felt a twinge of guilt for not noticing her anxiety earlier. "You are not hopeless. I've seen you practicing with the others. You're quite good," she gave him a disparaging look which he ignored. "You just need to calm down and trust me," he said softly.

She took several deep breaths trying to slow her racing heart. He wasn't angry with her which was a surprise. She'd seen glimpses of this kinder version of Nuada but this was her first personal encounter with him. A small seed of warmth sprang to life in her chest chasing some of her nervousness away.

Several deep breaths later he held out his hand again, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Rhoswen held her breath as they moved out amongst the other dancers again. The song was slower which helped, but she was still uncomfortable with so many people looking at her. She saw Teire lift his glass to her from one of the balconies and shot him a withering glare. It didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. He leaned over to King Balor and motioned to the couple, "They look well together don't they?"

Nuada could feel the tense stiffness to her movements. "Just pretend they aren't there. Don't even look at them. It always seems to make things much simpler."

Little by little her confidence inched back as she managed to maneuver about without maiming her partner. He slowly navigated them through the other couples towards Liam and Nuala.

"You know you're really a good dancer. I hadn't thought you would be," she said.

"Good foot work is necessary for being a good swordsman. Besides my mother insisted on it."

She smiled at the thought of a younger Nuada being cajoled into learning how to dance. "Thank you for before. I'm sorry I almost bailed on you."

"You're still here that's what counts." He wouldn't have admitted it to a soul, but he was actually rather enjoying himself. It had been a long while since he had simply danced with some one. _Too bad it would have to end. _He spotted his sister not ten feet from them. "Are you ready for this?" he asked Rhoswen.

"What's your plan?"

"Go over there and cut in."

"She's not going to be thrilled about you overtly trying to separate them."

"Well what do you suggest?"

"Just act like she would expect us to."

Nuala looked up in surprise, "Brother." She couldn't believe he was dancing with Rhoswen. Maybe they were actually starting to get along with one another she thought hopefully.

"Nuala." He locked eyes with her. _Help me_.

She looked confused as they spun past one another.

He rolled his eyes in Rhoswen's direction. _Father ordered me to dance with her. If she steps on my feet one more time I'm going to . . . _her brows flew up at the mental image. Her eyes moved to Rhoswen in time to see her mouth the word help. Nuada caught her and glared.

_Not good._ She was sure her father meant well, but this was obviously not working. She turned to her partner, "Liam would you mind if - "

"Ow! You clumsy-" Rhoswen screeched.

"Well if you actually knew what you were doing-" Nuada snarled.

Nuala broke in, "Okay why don't we give you two a break. Nuada come with me and Liam take Rhoswen for a turn? It would be nice if you two got to know each other." She smiled.

"Anything you wish Nuala," Liam said.

"Thank you." She grabbed Nuada's arm and hauled him off the dance floor.

Rhoswen watched them go, almost pitying Nuada. Then she turned to the elf in front of her.

"Shall we?" he asked with a cold gleam in his eye.

"You know I could really use a break if you don't mind. Sorry but its draining having to put up with the prince for any length of time," she gave a little laugh trying to cover up the nervousness in her voice. He gave her the creeps, always had.

"Tell me about it." He didn't move, just stood there looking at her.

"Well I'm off to get something to drink." She bobbed and tried to make her get away but he blocked her. He always had been intimidating but this was the first time she had felt directly threatened by him.

"Drinks are over there," he nodded behind her.

"Thanks." She turned around and made for any escape available. Looking over her shoulder she could see him following her. He stared straight into her eyes and smiled a chilling smile. Scared she tried to find some one, any one, she knew as she wove between clusters of people. No one seemed to notice her.

She hid behind a couple of goblins and a troll and scanned the room thinking she had finally lost Liam only to spot him closing in on her. She slid behind an open door cracking it so she could see. Damn them! One of the goblins pointed Liam towards the door. She looked back into the empty column filled room and ran to hide behind one. Not the best of hiding places but it was the best she could do.

She held her breath trying not to make any noise as she watched the sliver of light at the door expand.

"No not here," she heard him say, "They shouldn't leave doors open like this." She heard the door click close and lock. Exhaling in relief she let her muscles relax. A long rectangle of dim light shone through one of the tall windows on the far wall. It was the only light in the room but it was enough to see the outlines of the room's features. Tall windows covered by heavy drapes, tall columns, and a dais at the far end.

_Scraaaaape. Click, click, click_.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

_Scraaape, click, click. Scraaape, click, click._

It sounded like it was getting closer. She had no idea where it was coming from or what it was. She pressed her back against the pillar behind her squinting at the shadows trying to find what was in the room with her.

_Scrape click. _

_Click._

Silence.

She circled the pillar keeping her back to it. A low slow growl came from above her. She looked up to where the pillar across from her met the ceiling. Glowing orange eyes stared backed at her. The creature's long curved claws clicked as it repositioned itself leaving curved gouges in the stone work. It was about the size of an eight year old child. She could see its hairless skin hanging off its spindly bones as it bunched up, preparing to spring. It snarled at her flattening its pointed ears and revealing sharp dagger-like teeth.

"Oh gods," she whispered. She stayed frozen as the creature sprang at her. At the last second her flight response kicked in and she spun around to the other side of the column and ran. The creature snarled in frustration and scrambled back up the pillar.

She looked around trying to find the door. She could hear the scraping of the creatures claws as it leapt from pillar to pillar coming closer. She spotted the door all the way on the other end of the room. She hadn't realized how far back she'd gone. She heard a rumbling growl from above and twisted around the pillar as the creature pounced. It glared at her angrily as it once again climbed upwards.

It came after her faster, furious that it's meal was making it work. Rhoswen dodged and wove around pillars trying to make it to the door. The creature dogged her steps leaping from column to column trying to cut her off from the exit. It was faster than she was. If it got ahead of her she was done. Gathering her dress in one hand she sprinted in a straight line for the door.

Twenty feet away and she fell forward as the weight of creature landed on her, it's knifelike claws digging into her back. She screamed in pain as its teeth tore into her shoulder.

Nuada scanned the room searching for Rhoswen. Nuala was still railing at him but he was only half listening. It should not be this hard to spot a brunette in a sea of blond! A wave of apprehension came over him. He had left her to fend for herself with Liam. He'd assumed he wouldn't try anything in this sea of people. He looked again, this time for Liam and saw him closing a side door very much alone. The apprehension curled into a ball of worry in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll be right back," he said to his sister.

"Have you been listening to me at all?"

"We'll talk about it later," he looked over his shoulder and smiled as he walked away. He made his way quickly to the door only to find it locked.

A feminine voice came from behind him, "Nuada why are you avoiding me?"

"Lavinia I am a little busy right now," he said as he tugged hard on the doors trying to be discreet and failing.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find my dance partner."

"I'm right here," she smiled

"Rhoswen." Maybe he had the wrong door. He turned to try another only to find Lavinia uncomfortably close. He took an involuntary step back but she only closed the distance.

She stood on her toes so she could whisper in his ear, "Maybe you should forget about Rhoswen and focus instead on what's in front of you."

He grabbed her wrist as her hand slid up his chest holding back her advances. He could not deal with this right now, "Lavinia you need to-" Hearing the scream from behind the door he shoved Lavinia out of the way and slammed his body against the door which finally gave way.

The blinking scarbad shrank back from the light, but did not let go of Rhoswen. It snarled at the figure in the doorway.

Nuada was certain it was a scarbad, but why it would attack a human he had no idea. They were typically scavengers. When he tried to ease towards it it growled. Rhoswen shrieked as it dug its claws into her and dragged her further away leaving a slick of red. Her eyes were full of fear and pain.

He racked his mind trying to come up with a plan even as the creature snarled at him. How was he going to get her away from it when it could kill her before he got within ten feet? He raged against his helplessness. It was not a feeling to which he was accustomed.

One of the trolls standing outside the door lumbered into the room to see what was going on, leg of mutton in one hand, mug of beer in the other. Nuada grabbed the leg from the surprised troll and threw it six feet to the right of the scarbad.

The scarbad shot a shifty glance at the meat and then at Nuada. He stretched out a long skinny arm trying to grab it but was still shy by a meter. He growled in frustration. It wavered indecisively between Rhoswen and the meat. It inched closer to the meat but still kept its eyes on her.

Rhoswen froze, watching the scarbad, trying not to move or scream. A cold numbness was climbing up her legs and arms. Slowly she started shifting, trying to get her feet under her when the scarbad heard her moving. It's eyes flashed back to her, it's lips pulled back against its teeth. Rhoswen tried to get up as the creature lunged toward her but Nuada was faster. His boot knife spun through the air lodging in the scarbad's skull. It dropped with a dull thud.

Nuada ran to her. Her wounds were worse than he'd thought. Some of the lacerations on her back were so deep he could see bone. Blood was beginning to pool around her. Gods was he too late?

"Rhoswen?"

"My legs are really cold."

He almost laughed in relief. At least she was still alive. For the moment. He looked back at the troll still standing in the room. "Lend me your aid?"

The troll flexed its arms and nodded.

Nuada dipped his head, "Thank you." He locked eyes with the troll and nodded to the chained doors to the right of the dais. He turned back to Rhoswen wishing he could make this less painful for her, but knowing that doing so would be wasting time that she did not have. Hearing the troll kick down the doors he quickly scooped Rhoswen up in his arms and ran. Her eyes went wide as she shrieked in agony. He focused on the most direct route to the infirmary trying to ignore the writhing pain he was causing her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we're almost there," he whispered as he ran. This was different then men and elves dying in battle. This was a girl in his home who he should never have left alone with that bastard. He would kill Liam the next time he saw him he swore silently.

He skidded to a stop in front of the infirmary and kicked open the door. Breathing hard he bellowed, "Nurse!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

A few hours later after the ball had broken up King Balor strode into the infirmary, the Chamberlain trailing behind him. A tired Nuada rose and bowed to his father.

"_Have they said anything yet?"_

"_No. Nothing."_ Nuada said glancing at the door he had taken her through. The nurses had been horrified at the amount of blood on the both of them. He hadn't really noticed until they had take Rhoswen away that his front half was soaked in it. It had taken a moment for him to realize, to remember that human's blood ran red.

Balor studied his son. Unlike Nuala whose emotions could be easily read on her face, Nuada usually kept his feelings carefully hidden, but tonight a few were escaping through his mask. Concern, anger, and guilt flitted across his face. Now was not a good time to discuss matters with his son but it absolutely could not wait.

He sighed. "Nuada Lord Tiere approached me with an offer from the northern council. They want to break away from Gilroy and form a stronger alliance with us. As part of this alliance you would wed Rhoswen," the king said quietly.

The prince looked at his father in disbelief. Now? He wanted to discuss this now? "That girl is dying in there. May actually already be dead. Have you not told the delegation? Her family?"

"That would be most unwise your highness," the Chamberlain said.

"I do not give a goblin's hairy ass what you think is wise or unwise," Nuada snarled before turning back to his father and asking again in a more respectful tone, "Why have they not been told?"

"I am in agreement with the Chamberlain on this matter," the king said softly but firmly, "if the girl pulls through they may never have to know. If they were to find out it could ruin everything. It could be the difference between war and a lasting peace between us and the humans. You understand don't you?"

Nuada stood silently tried to absorb everything.

The Chamberlain took his silence as a need for reassurance, "It would not be so bad sire. Thanks to her human blood she would be dead in half a century, if she even lives that long." His placed a long fingered hand on Nuada's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

The prince looked at him with murder in his eyes. "You really need to leave Chamberlain."

Quickly he retracted his hand. "Please wait for me back in my chambers," the king said.

He bowed, "Yes your majesty."

Nuada waited until he was gone before asking, "How long do I have to decide?"

"I have to give them my answer tomorrow morning. We are breaking our fast with them before they leave."

Nuada bristled, "So I have no choice in my own future?"

His father frowned at him, "I had hoped that as the future king you would do what is best for your people. You have a chance to secure peace at very little cost."

Nuada turned away from his father and paced the width of the hall while he thought. What did he actually know about Rhoswen? She was a pesky human half breed who had turned his life into mayhem. Thoughts like that would not help. He pinched the bridge of his nose making an effort to see things from a neutral perspective. She had been a source of comfort to his sister when she had been hurt and had helped him even though she did not like him. She had obviously told the truth to the delegation or they would be calling for his head not an alliance. She had tried to avenge her father against impossible odds. Kindness, honor, and a bit of courage . . . he could do worse.

"You can tell the delegation that I accept. You do realize though that our people will not be happy that a half human will be providing their future leaders?"

"You let me worry about that."

"Your majesties? Rhoswen Parlan's condition has been stabilized," said the hesitant nurse.

"How is she?" Nuada asked.

"She has some minor cuts on her legs and several deep lacerations on her back and shoulder. The scarbad's venom is still working its way out of her body but her fever should break by morning. With our medicines she should be fully recovered more or less in about two weeks."

"How are you going to explain her absence to Baron Tiere?" Nuada asked.

"We'll say she is simply unwell."

"And if they insist? They will probably want to see her before they go," he pressed.

"How soon will she be able to stand?" the king asked the nurse.

"I would not recommend that she move at all, at least for the next two days. She needs time to heal."

Balor turned back to his son, "Then we pray they don't insist."

"Father, one more thing. I do not think that this was an accident. Liam locked her in that room right before the attack. I saw him do it."

"I will look into it and have Liam summoned for questioning. It is suspicious, but he may not have even known the girl was in there."

"He was dancing with her not a moment before. He must have seen where she went," he argued.

The king frowned at this new information, "I will look into it Nuada."

Another conversation elsewhere in the palace was not going nearly as smoothly.

"Of all the things you could have possibly blundered. The murder of a girl?" Lavinia cried in outrage.

"Not blundered. Just missed one of many opportunities," Liam waved off her anger.

She scowled at him. He was much too carefree for her liking, "How do you figure exactly?" she asked stalking slowly around him as he sat in a padded leather chair. "You are exposed. You don't think the prince will put it together. I was watching him. He saw you leave the room. How are you going to explain away that little coincidence?"

"He can't prove I knew she was in there. There's a troll and two goblins who'll say I looked but couldn't find her."

"This should have been over and done with. You should have done it yourself. You read Gilroy's letter. A creature attacking her can still be explained away but not murder. You put everything in jeopardy!"

"Really? I don't see you making much headway with the prince," he said casually. "Nuada was avoiding you like the plague. Where does that fall into the scheme of seduce and marry Nuada, kill the king and prince, and take the crown for ourselves?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her own version of the plan did not include him surviving past the death of the king but for the moment he was a convenient handy man. She would be glad when she no longer had a use for him. "It's not as easy as it looks. Perhaps you'd like to give a try?"

"I seem to be doing fine with Nuala," he said smugly.

She bit back the angry words she so badly wanted to throw at him, "You don't have to contend with any real competition which brings us back to the matter at hand. Rhoswen is still a problem."

He sighed in resignation, "I'll take care of it. Like always."

"If what happened tonight blows back on you-"

He glared at her. "It'll get done."


	19. Chapter 19

((Sorry for the long abscence. The next month and a half are going to be crazy but I will still post when I have new stuff.))

Chapter Nineteen

Rhoswen gingerly made her way down the hall towards the library. Not being able to twist or turn or reach very far or stretch in general was getting very annoying. The nurses had wanted her to stay in the infirmary longer, but she couldn't take those same four walls for another hour. She had been in the same room for a week according to Nuala although she could barely remember anything from the first half. She thought she remembered Teire, most definitely Nuala, and, strangely enough, she thought she remembered seeing Nuada a few times although she could have easily been hallucinating. The medicine they had given her had kept her asleep most of the time. Now she was wide awake and ready to be out of there.

Nuala had told her about the alliance. The dread alone at seeing Nuada again was enough to keep her confined to the hospital for the rest of the week. Nuala had tried to cheer her up.

"Look at it this way, at least you're not stuck in one part of the palace any more. You can go anywhere," she'd said.

"Yes but I don't see your brother being too thrilled. There is no way he would have agreed to this willingly. Gods but he must really hate me right now." Maybe it wasn't too late to run. She didn't think she could live with some one who despised her for the rest of her life.

"I honestly don't believe he blames you for any of this Rhoswen," Nuala said reassuringly. "You know he came in a few times to check on you while you were sleeping."

Rhoswen wasn't sure what to make of that. She was still doubtful that Nuada did not hold anything against her.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the angry librarian blocking the door way. "Oh no Miss Parlan, you are not setting foot here until I get that book back."

_Dammit_. "Which book?" she asked hoping to throw him off.

"Kellion's book of short stories. I know you had it last from the log. I saw you leave with it when the Chamberlain came to get you when the delegation arrived even after I specifically told you it was not to leave the library. It was a one of a kind work!" his face was turning red.

She winced inwardly. Curse his memory. The Chamberlain had basically told her the same thing when he had confiscated it on their way to meeting the delegation. When she had asked for it back he said he was certain she was mistaken about the book. Now he was avoiding her. It had to be in his office but there was no way she could weasel in there. The door had some sort of magical lock. Anything she had used to try to pick it had melted. "I know the Chamberlain has it even though he says otherwise."

"I do not care who has it. If I do not have that book in my hands you will never set foot in this library again!" With that he shut the door in her face.

"Yeesh," she muttered as she turned back down the hall. She walked slowly trying to think of some way she hadn't tried, some option other than the obvious one, but kept coming up blank. She could just not go to the library any more . . . even though that was one of her most favorite places in the palace. What would she read?

She groaned realizing she was stuck. There was only one thing she could do. Call in a favor.

Sweat was beading on Nuada's bare chest as he hammered his opponent trying to drive him into a corner, frustration adding extra force to the blows. Liam had not been seen or heard since the ball. When questioned Lavinia said she thought he might have gone back to their home but was not sure. She'd claimed she hadn't even known he was missing. Sadness that he now doubted everything she said mixed with anger at her for fracturing their friendship. It was splintering apart so fast he did not think either of them could fix it. He was not even sure he wanted to try. Resentment at that realization and at Lavinia drove him now as he tried to burn it all away training.

Adding to all that was this new alliance and the marriage it brought with it. He had surprised himself by being oddly at ease with the idea of a political marriage. Ensuring the safety of his realm while weakening his enemy and gaining a stronger alliance were nice incentives. The main draw back was not so much Rhoswen as that he did not know her. Yes he had a measure of her character, but he had no clue what she was like. He knew plenty of upstanding elves that he could not bear to hold a conversation with. And while a political marriage was fine for the kingdom, in his heart he knew that he wanted something more. Something like the relationship his parents had before his mother had died. Their love was only whispered legend now. He couldn't remember the last time his father had spoken of her, but every year without fail the king would go down to the mausoleum and lay flowers at his wife's feet.

Maybe he could have something like that with this girl, maybe not, but he was open to trying.

The sword point being driven toward his chest snapped him back to the present. His opponent's eyes gleamed thinking he would finally land the defeating blow. Over eager he had sacrificed balance for thrust. Nuada side stepped the blow and kicked his opponent's feet out from under him. He went sprawling, losing his weapon in the process.

"I yield," he said putting up his hands.

"Thanks for the session Merric," Nuada said helping him up.

"No problem. Next time though tell me if you're in a bad mood first, okay?"

Nuada's cheek lifted in a one sided grin, "Deal."

Merric nodded at something over Nuada's shoulder, "I think you have a visitor, sire."

Rhoswen felt her nerves jump when Nuada turned and started towards her. _At least he doesn't look too angry. Who can tell, he hardly ever smiles. Would have preferred talking to him without something sharp in his hand though._ She could feel her throat tightening.

Nuada frowned at her. She looked pale and more than a little agitated, "Shouldn't you still be in bed?"

Her words came out in a rush, "I couldn't really take the infirmary any more so I tried to go to the library and the librarian wouldn't let me in because of the book that I told you about, you know the one you said you'd help me find, so I was wondering, if you weren't busy or anything if you could please help me?" She couldn't look him in the eye, she wanted to disappear.

His frown deepened, "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing."

"No something's off," he paused for a moment, "Are you afraid of me?"

_Trapped like a rat and no way out. _She stood there still unable to look at him, waffling between spilling her guts and running like hell. In the end it just seemed to burst out of her, "I just, I mean, you must be furious with me. I'm sorry I didn't even know they were going to spring that whole alliance marriage thing," she was finally able to look up, "I'm sorry you were forced into it. I know I'm not your favorite person." _I'm sure Lavinia holds that spot._

"So you think that I am utterly enraged with you because your human leaders forced me into an alliance and thus into marriage with yourself, is that it?"

Rhoswen winced, "Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking."

"Complete nonsense."

"What?" she asked in surprise.

He leaned against the spear with one had on his hip, "Do you honestly think that I would let anyone force me into anything? I would go into exile before agreeing to something which I truly disdained."

"Oh." She was not really sure she could believe what she was hearing.

"I do not blame you for this. Where was your part in it?"

"So, to be clear, you're not angry with me?"

"No."

"You're just upset at the situation, that's it right?"

He sighed. "Yes and no. I am upset that it was as you say sprung on me leaving little time to make a decision, but I am not displeased with the decision I made." A thought suddenly occurred to him, "You did not go into this against your will, did you?"

A little taken aback by the protective note in his tone she hesitated with her answer, "Not exactly. I wasn't really given a choice so I did not really think about it. I just assumed you would never agree and so it would never happen."

"But now that it is happening do you want to go through with it?"

"If it were my choice . . . I don't know. It helps that you don't hate me, if that were the case then there would be no way I'd do this willingly."

"I see," a neutral starting place, that was good, even if there was an unaccountable feeling of slight disappointment on his part.

The silence was stretching out uncomfortably. "If this is a bad time-"

"No I said I would help you find the book and I will. Now is as good a time as any. Do you have any idea where it might be?" he asked grabbing his shirt.


	20. Chapter 20

((My eyes, my eyes! They're burning! Too much time in front of the computer. I wanted to write more but it's the first decent day we've had in weeks so I am off to get some fresh air. Happy reading!))

Chapter Twenty

Nuada peered around the corner, "The Chamberlain's rooms?" he asked.

"Is it a problem?"

"It's only one of the most heavily guarded rooms in the palace besides my father's. The Chamberlain manages of the king's household and also acts a sort of secretary. Seals, state papers, and other important documents are all entrusted to him. It would be disastrous if they fell into the wrong hands." _How am I going to do this?_ He turned to face her, "You're certain it's in there?"

"I don't know where else the book could be. He took it off me and didn't return it so he still has to have it somewhere."

He signaled her back around the corner as the Chamberlain opened the door and made his way down the hall away from them. Once he was gone they made their way to his door and examined it as inconspicuously as possible.

"This is an enchanted two way lock," Nuada said as he studied the key hole, "One key opens it from the outside. Another key lets the person out of the room. The lock is imbued with magic so that only the proper keys will work in the lock."

Rhoswen's face fell, "So you can't get in."

"I never said that." He pulled a folded pouch full of small tools out of his vest and began to work on the lock.

She frowned, "So you just carry magical lock picking tools around with you where ever you go?"

"Do you know how many doors there are in the palace? Doors people have forgotten about, doors that have been locked for centuries, doors that lock on their own? You'd be foolish not to carry a pick set." The door popped open with a click. _Yes!_

Nuada muttered darkly under his breath when he saw the inside of the room. The floor was an intricate patchwork of designs. Rhoswen thought it was a mosaic until Nuada told her it was a web of magic designed to trap anyone who entered. The octagonal shaped room was almost completely empty except for a desk and three chairs. Ornate carvings covered the walls from floor to ceiling. Nuada knew from experience that they hid storage cabinets. Knowing which part of the design to pull, push, or press would open the doors.

The pattern was broken by two small ledges winding around the room. They were far enough apart and just barely wide enough that he could use them as foot and hand holds.

"You don't have to do this you know. We can find another way."

"No. He will know the door was opened. It would be even more difficult next time. Just keep watch. Warn me if you see him coming. And try not to look so guilty you'll give us away."

Rhoswen thought he might be insane as he clung to the protruding molding and shimmied around the room.

Nuada was beginning to regret going through with this as his hands and knees started cramping. With the carvings only a few inches in front of his face it was easy to see which parts needed to be pushed in to open the cabinets. The first couple had been a breeze to open, the design of the carvings was simple, but they grew much more intricate and ornate as he moved closer to the desk on the far side of the room.

_It has to be here somewhere!_ He rifled through each cabinet as carefully as he could one handed. His ignored the painful numbing of his fingers refusing to quit. He opened the last cabinet to find it the same as the first, full of extra paper, ink, and quills. He couldn't believe it wasn't here. Craning his head he looked around the room trying to find something he'd missed. A high carving behind the desk he hadn't noticed before caught his eye. It was higher than he could reach while clinging to the molding but it was right at the Chamberlain's eye level. _Promising._ He shimmied back around but couldn't get a proper look.

Once back behind the desk he was at a loss as to how to get a better view of the carving. He eyed the desk chair within easy reach behind him and the shimmering web of magic floating on the floor. Could he do it without ending up trapped? Hooking a foot under the chair he pulled it towards him quickly. The web continued to shimmer softly on the floor. Exhaling in relief he stepped onto the chair flexing his sore fingers.

Nuada squinted at the square shaped design. No crack, or shading, or wearing revealed how it opened. Widening his gaze he took in the top panel as whole and then pushed the whole square in. He was almost knocked off the chair as the door swung open to reveal the Chamberlain's hoard. Books and children's toys and notes and baubles of all sorts were arranged neatly in the cupboard.

_That was mine! _He picked up a small toy sword leaning against the back wall. He recognized several other items that were his or Nuala's that had gone missing over the years.

"Nuada he's coming," Rhoswen whispered urgently.

He pocketed a few valuables that he knew were his or Nuala's and the missing book before closing the door and climbing back onto the wall.

Rhoswen glanced nervously back and forth between the hall and the door. The Chamberlain was coming too fast, there was no way Nuada would make it out unseen. She took a deep steadying breath and walked forward to try to head the Chamberlain off.

"Good afternoon Chamberlain," she said loudly praying Nuada heard her.

"Good afternoon Lady Parlan. Were you waiting for me?"

"Yes. I . . . I . . . I was," what? What was she doing? Desperately she tried to come up with some reason for standing outside his door but her mind was blank. "Um . . . I had a few questions about . . . the wedding. Yes, I am really nervous about it and how everything will be and I want everything to go perfectly." Her voice sounded fake to her ears but the Chamberlain bought it.

"Well you've come the right person my lady. Let's go into my office and - "

"No! No. I was wondering if you could show me where the actual ceremony would take place. Right now."

"Well the ceremony itself will be at your family's castle as per request of your uncle but we can always go over the details. Come in, they're lying on my desk as we speak." He motioned for the door.

She cut him off as he tried to go around her, "It wasn't so much the details as how everything is done. You know the motions. Is there any special bowing or dancing or other etiquette I should know about?"

The Chamberlain's face lit up at the mention of etiquette, "Oh yes my lady. There are several forms and variations for a royal wedding and all that goes with it. Why don't we go to the master of ceremonies? Although my knowledge is extensive on the subject, he is sure to know all the ins and outs you're looking for."

Rhoswen's mood promptly sank as the Chamberlain gleefully led her away.

Nuada waited until the pair had turned the corner before nudging open the door with his toe and making his way to the library.


	21. Chapter 21

((Don't give up hope this story is still going! I'm in the middle of a long distance move and other life changing events so please bear with my erratic updating. Thank you to everyone who has stuck it out and reviewed.))

Chapter Twenty One

Nuada walked as quickly as he could to the library hoping to rescue Rhoswen from the Chamberlain as soon as possible. Looking through the door he could see Nuala over by the fireplace reading. She looked up at him when she felt his gaze.

The head librarian rose to greet him as he entered, "Good afternoon your highness. Is there something I can get for you?" he asked coming out from behind his desk.

"No, I have something for you for a change." He held out the book.

"That girl," he said darkly reaching for the book, "No respect for such a valuable work to leave it lying around. Thank the gods you found it my lord or else I'm sure it would have been lost forever. Tell me, where did you find it? Near some fireplace, no doubt about to be incinerated."

Nuada maintained a firm grasp on the book as the librarian tried to pull it out of his hand. "Actually it was right where she said it would be, in the Chamberlain's office."

"Oh," the color of embarrassment crept up the librarian's face.

Nuada let the silence stretch out uncomfortably before continuing, "Perhaps in the future you will be more prone to believing Rhoswen when she tells you something." He let the librarian take the book. "It would behoove you greatly to be more civil towards my future wife. Some one like her, who has a real love of the library, could be a valuable ally for yourself."

The librarian inclined his head and nervously rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet said, "Ah ha, I see, yes."

"In fact there she is now," Nuada said nodding to a pained looking Rhoswen who was being led around by the Chamberlain and now the master of ceremonies as well as they quibbled about the proper way to greet a wedding guest in the receiving line. "I think she would appreciate knowing that she was welcome in the library once again."

He frowned, "Yes a very good idea. Thank you for your sage advice your majesty." He bowed deeply before walking over to Rhoswen.

Nuala came over to her brother as he watched the exchange between the four. She frowned, puzzled, "What have you been up to Nuada?"

He smiled at her, "Nothing much dear sister."

"I see Rhoswen is welcome back. It was getting a bit lonely without her. Was that your doing?"

"In part."

She studied him as he watched Rhoswen from across the room. There was a softness to his face when he looked at her that she had not seen before. Seeing that he was opening up himself to some one made her own heart feel lighter. "You should probably go over and rescue the poor girl or they will have her in their clutches for hours."

"Yes, your right," he smiled at her again, "I'll see you later."

Relief flooded through Rhoswen as Nuada slid next to her. Those idiots were so intent on bickering over their inane trivia that they did not even notice the prince arrive. She leaned close to him, "Your highness-" she whispered.

"Nuada," he whispered back.

"What?"

"We're engaged to be married and partners in crime. I think its past time we stopped being so formal, if that's agreeable?"

"Sounds good to me." She paused before asking, "Was what we did really so bad?"

"Even if it was not treason it was pretty close. At least as the crown prince I could make up some plausible excuse for rifling through confidential state papers."

Her smile faded slightly, "Do you think you can get me out of here? My back is really starting to hurt."

He nodded, "Leave it to me." Carefully he gently put his arm around her. A warm wave of comfort washed over her. A tingling at his touch welled up in her, something she hadn't noticed happening before.

"Gentlemen," he said loudly over their argument, "Lady Rhoswen and I will be taking our leave. We trust you will come to a final decision these very important matters."

"Your majesty," they both bowed as the couple walked away.

Rhoswen was very aware of Nuada's hand sitting gently against the small of her back all the way to her rooms. Disappointment flooded through her that they made it to her door so fast.

Nuada regretfully dropped his hand as they came to a stop. "I hope you feel better after you rest."

"Me too, thanks. And thank you for your help getting that book back and getting me from those two. I would have been stuck listening to them blather on for days."

He gave her a half smile, "Your welcome."

She shook herself from staring at him. She really did not want him to leave but she couldn't think of anything else to say. "Well good night."

She froze as he leaned forward slowly and lightly kissed her forehead. "Good night," he whispered before walking away.

Rhoswen stood in front of her door in stunned elated silence. A few moments passed before she remembered what she was doing outside her bedroom door.

She did not see much of Nuada over the next few days. They stole smiles from each other when they crossed paths, but he was occupied by the preparations for the court to travel to her homeland. No matter what advisor he was speaking to or which orders he was pouring over he always seemed to know when she was looking at him and would return her glance with a grin.

Rhoswen could not believe she was falling for the person she had once vowed to despise for the rest of her life. The part of her mind that had been so set against him before was slowly being eaten away by a new part which felt giddy every time he looked her way. She noticed things about him she hadn't before like how well he filled out his clothes and how his eyes seemed to glow when he looked at her.

Nuala sighed as she sat in the library watching Rhoswen starring into the fire day dreaming. She had been trying without much luck to get her friend's attention. "Rhoswen!"

"What! Oh, sorry. I must have been," she trailed off as the smile bloomed across Nuala's face. "Oh come on don't look at me like that." Rhoswen could feel the blush running up her cheeks.

"No no I'm not making fun of you," Nuala said, "I am just happy for you both. It's no easy thing to find love and a small miracle that you two have found it with each other given your histories."

"I do not know if I would call it love just yet."

"You can not argue that you are headed in that direction though. I can feel that much from the two of you."

"Nuala!"

"Don't worry I haven't delved too deeply in either of your thoughts. Everybody deserves _some_ privacy."

"Well I'm glad you think so," she said in a huff.

"Any way what I wanted was to know if you would like to go out to the markets? You haven't been there yet and I don't know about you, but I could use a change of scenery."

"Yeah that sounds great actually." While the library was still one of her favorite places coming there day after day had gotten kind of monotonous.

"Perfect. How about I meet you on the terrace overlooking the palace entrance in about fifteen minutes?"

"Sounds good. It'll give me time enough to put this away."

_Maybe I'll grab a wrap while I'm at it, _Rhoswen thought to herself walking quickly to her room. Looking out over a balcony she spied the prince walking below and slowed her pace. She watched him stop when some one called to him and froze when she saw who it was. Despite feeling like she was spying on them she could not tear herself away.

"Nuada," Lavinia called out to him.

He stopped and turned to her even though he really did not want to talk to her right then. He bowed his head slightly, "My lady."

"You keep avoiding me. Why? Are we not still friends?" she asked walking towards him.

"I'm not sure what we are Lavinia. I do not think we can ever go back to the way we were." His conscience flinched at the hurt on her face.

"Why? Why do you say such things? I care for you, I always have. I love you. You are throwing all that we have been through together because of one mistake I made with your sister? I freely admit I was wrong, but what I did was done out of concern not malice. Can you not forgive an old friend for being over careful?"

Rhoswen held her breath as she watched Lavinia passionately make her speech to Nuada. They were too far away for her to hear anything. She wished she could see his face to at least have some clue as to what he was thinking, but his back was to her. Her heart dropped to her feet as the two embraced. _I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be watching them_. Her mind raced to catch back up to the reality around her. A sense of embarrassment made her want to hide. She spun and made her way as quickly as she could back to her rooms.

"Oh Nuada. I knew you couldn't stay mad at me forever," she said into his shoulder.

He gently pushed her back, "Lavinia I will always care about you and think of you as my old friend, but we are not the same to each other as we once were. We can never be that way again. It is a sad that things have changed between us but neither of us can fix what happened or how we feel about it. Maybe with time and space some of the damage can be repaired, but not now."

Her face fell as what he said hit her. Her voice hardened as she spoke. "So that's it? You're throwing away years of friendship and my love for what? A sister's folly? A passing alliance with the humans? You do not even know what you are tossing away."

Courtesy and a desire not to make a scene kept his temper in line. "Perhaps it is time for you to spend some time away from court my lady. I've heard your family is most anxious to see you and have arranged that you should leave for your home day after tomorrow. I will come to see you off then."

"You can't simply send me away. I am the guest of the king. Only he can banish me from court."

Injecting some ice into his voice he said, "Actually you were the guest of my sister and as neither she nor I want anything to do with you nothing remains for you here. Go home Lavinia."

She looked for a second like she might scream at him. He braced himself for her rage but it never came. She took a deep breath bottling the anger inside her before curtseying, "As you wish your majesty," she said stiffly.


	22. Chapter 22

((The author requests a stay of execution in order to finish the story. In my defense things have been a little crazy these past few months. I quit my job to move to a new town with my then fiancee, now husband, and have not yet been able to find another job which led to a lot of freaking out on my part which hampered my writing. However things are starting to look up so my writing mojo is starting to come back. Postings may be sporadic, but I meant what I said at the beginning of this thing, I will finish it and not with a ". . . and then she woke up and it was all a dream." In other news Woo Harry Potter and the new season of True Blood, but King Bill, really? Happy reading.))

Chapter Twenty Two

Rhoswen concentrated on breathing as she blindly walked back to her room. Her chest constricted as her mind went over what she had just witnessed. Lavinia making an obviously passionate plea, Nuada embracing her. The image just couldn't find footing in her mind, she didn't know what to make of it. Was there something more between Nuada and Lavinia like she had thought all along?

The sickening rush that accompanied that thought almost stopped her in her tracks. He had never said he didn't have feelings for her, in fact it had been obvious on several occasions that he did. Their familiarity when she had first met Lavinia, their intimate conversations, the casual way she would lay her hand on his or brush against him. . .

Rhoswen could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes, more at her own stupidity rather than the cracks forming on her heart. Good gods she was a fool! Assuming that just because he agreed to marry her he felt something for her. The more she thought about it the more she was convinced he was motivated by politics. He hated humans, and what was she? She remembered his harsh words from their past conversations, the threats he had made. Yet as heir to the throne he needed to ensure the safety of his people so he deigned to align himself with the humans.

Suddenly she saw her future parading before her in a grotesque mockery of what she had hoped. Nuada and his mistress, the wife in waiting, the woman he truly loved, meeting, making love, and waiting for her to die so that they could finally be together as it should have been. Meanwhile she would still be the outsider, shunned, forgotten, until she finally did pass away.

Over her dead body. Rhoswen felt her temper fume as the scene played out in her head again. No. It would not happen. _I'd rather be the beloved wife of the lowest of my father's servants than this elf's political pawn._ She had the freedom of the castle. She could make a run for it.

Her plotting was interrupted by a maid as she entered her rooms, "My lady there is a letter and a package from Prince Nuada on the table."

"Thank you." Rhoswen glared at the silent culprits as they sat unassuming on the table. She opened the lid of the box and felt her grip tighten in anger. Inside, glittering and golden, lay a bracelet with the seal of Bethmoora. "Bastard," she muttered slamming the box closed. To think he could dangle a shining object in front of her face and she would be placated.

Whirling back towards the door she almost ran into Nuala as she entered the room.

"Rhoswen what's wrong?" she asked feeling the anger rolling off of her.

Rhoswen took a steadying breath trying to fight her emotions back. "Nothing, I'm fine."

Nuala looked at her doubtfully. "Do you still want to go to the market?"

Rhoswen hurriedly grabbed her cloak, "Yes. I need to get out of here for a while."

Nuala continued to stare at her as they wove through the allies between the stalls. Rhoswen was still upset about something; she hardly looked at anything the merchants had to offer. She was loath to poke about in her friend's mind, even though she desperately wanted to know what had brought about this sudden change. Rhoswen, however, seemed unwilling to talk about it.

The two wandered around the market unaware of the hooded figure shadowing their movements.

"I'm sorry Rhoswen but I cannot stand it. Something is wrong, I can feel it."

Rhoswen gave her a sharp look, "Nuala!"

"No I haven't been spying on you're thoughts, but I'm this close to doing so if you don't tell me what is going on. Do you realize how hard it is to pretend everything's fine when you know its not?"

Blending in with the crowd, the figure covertly stalked the two women. The princess need not be harmed, it was the human he was after.

"Look it's nothing," Rhoswen said refusing to look at her, "I just overestimated your brother's feelings is all. Lesson learned, won't happen again."

"What do you mean?"

Rhoswen began relating what she had seen. They had stopped at the end of a row of booths, their shadow waiting on the other side of a large pile of carpets for them to turn the corner. He listened for sounds signaling their movement as he loosened a knife from its sheath. A small commotion from the other end of the ally drew his attention away from the women. Merchants and city folk scattered out of Prince Nuada's way as he strode purposefully down the street. He stopped at one bowing seller whispering a question. The vendor pointed him in the direction of the ladies.

_No!_ The elf grit his teeth in frustration, sliding his weapon back into place. Risky enough to murder some one in public, never mind trying to murder the prince's fiancée in front of him. He slowly slid away back into the shadows.

Rhoswen did not even see Nuada come up behind her.

"Can I have a moment with you please?" he asked stiffly.

"Sure," she responded coolly.

Her tone took him aback. Why was she miffed? He was the one who should be angry. Taking a hold of her arm he led her to a quiet alcove. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to the market? I don't want you going off by yourself, especially with Liam still unaccounted for."

"You seemed a bit busy with Lavinia last I saw. I didn't want to interrupt such a tender moment," spite laced her voice.

His own hackles rose in response, "I was saying good bye to her."

"Yes it certainly looked like you were going to miss her. I don't know what you're playing at Nuada but do not expect to placate me with gifts while you carry on an affair with another woman."

"What? Where is this coming from?"

Rhoswen barely managed to keep her voice to a low growl, "I saw you with Lavinia and then when I came back to my room there was this bracelet. You can't buy me off Nuada."

"I wasn't trying to. If you just listen to me I will explain." He arched an eyebrow as Rhoswen crossed her arms and waited. "The bracelet was a gift not a bribe, everyone in my family wears our crest. As for Lavinia I was saying good bye to her because I had just banished her from court. She will be leaving day after tomorrow.

The angry cast to her face faltered, "Truly?"

"Yes."

"What about your past, your friendship?"

"The only thing that can repair that now is time and space. But that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is your lack of trust. Right away you assume the worst about me."

Rhoswen could feel the heat of embarrassment climbing up her neck, "I honestly do not try to see the worst in you. Old habits aren't easy to break." Now that he had explained it she was feeling more and more like a fool. Again.

"Just as it's hard for you to imagine having a husband who is unfaithful, it is difficult for me to accept having a wife who doubts me at every turn."

"You're right, I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I'll try to remember we're on the same side."

A half smile broke across his face as he folded her into his arms, "Good."

Nuala cleared her throat as she approached them, "I am sorry to interrupt but it is getting late and I'd like to make it back soon. I can go ahead if you want to stay longer."

"No we'll head back with you, it's not a problem. Right?" Rhoswen looked to Nuada.

"I'd rather know you both got back safe," he said as they started back towards the palace.

Cuteness to follow, hopefully soon. Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

((Here we go, chapter 23. I was disappointed that I didn't get it out in September, I really wanted things to happen a little quicker but no dice. Unfortunately it looks like this is going to be the pace chapters come out, which sucks, but barring a very large check with my name on it this is the reality of the situation. Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated.))

Chapter Twenty Three

"How about something different today?" Nuada asked as he admired how the fire light brought out the different tones in Rhoswen's hair.

Instantly he had her attention. She closed her book, "Something different?" A visit this early was unusual in itself. Typically Nuada was in the library waiting for her and Nuala, but today he had sought her out.

"Yes," he frowned slightly noticing the unopened letter and jewelry box still sitting on the table. Absently he traced the grain of the dark colored wood while he made an addition to his plan. "Yes, I thought we could go riding today if you were feeling up to it."

"Riding? Outside?" Rhoswen held her breath, she didn't know if she was hearing correctly. She tried to keep her climbing hopes in check in case she'd been mistaken.

He hesitated, he had been hoping for a more enthusiastic response, "The weather has warmed enough to melt most of the snow away. Everything is greening up, I thought you might like a change of scenery," he shrugged as if it did not matter.

Her eyes lit up, "Yes! Yes! Can we go now?"

Nuada smiled at the excitement in her face, "Not just yet. I still have to take care of a few things. Would you mind if I borrowed this?" he asked taking hold of the box.

Blush started to creep up Rhoswen's neck, "No."

"I thought I'd take the opportunity to present it to you properly."

She felt heat suddenly jump up her neck, "No, you don't need to - "

"But I would like to. And since you haven't opened that letter yet-"

"I'm sorry-" she started to say, reaching for it.

"Please don't," he said, "I should be the one apologizing. I should have presented you with this in person in the first place."

Rhoswen pulled her hand back, "Alright, I'll wait then. When do you want to leave?"

"Can you meet me by the stables in a half hour?"

"Sure." She nodded her head.

"Be sure to dress warmly, it's still chilly out there," he turned at the door and gave her one of what she called his almost smiles. Small, and so fast you almost missed them, they made her heart take off because for that brief moment the self he hid under a prickly standoffish exterior shone through, "I'll see you soon."

Rhoswen had to concentrate in not rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet with impatience as she stood in the small courtyard between the palace and the stables. Finally Nuada came into view leading two horses. Realizing she was grinning like an idiot the corners of her mouth quickly dropped into a smaller smile before walking over to meet him. _It's just because I'll actually see the sky_, she tried to tell herself.

"Are you sure you're going to be warm enough in that?" he asked eyeing her cloak as he secured the horses.

Warmth flooded through her as they stood only a step apart, "I should be."

Nuada stared down at the lovely girl before him and felt a thrill of desire. The distance between them was so small he longed to run a finger down her cheek but feared the moment would break apart if he moved. Besides all his planning would be wasted if they didn't make it out to the woods. Belatedly he realized there was not a mounting block in sight. "Would you like some assistance?"

"Yes that would be helpful," Rhoswen looked around thinking he was going to lead the horses to a block. What he really meant did not register until she felt his hands firmly around her waist lifting her into the saddle. "Thank you," she said coloring again.

He had to admit he loved to make her blush. Lucky for him she did it so easily. Nuada smiled deviously to himself as he walked to his own horse.

Moments latter the clattering of hooves on flagstone turned to thunder as they galloped out the city gate. A cold wind buffeted Rhoswen's face as they raced through the forest, turning her face to ice but she did not care. It was crisp and refreshing. Through it she felt the thrill of living. She pushed her horse faster to feel more of it.

Finally she slowed the horse, feeling it getting tired. Nuada pulled up beside her, "For a moment I thought you were trying to escape."

"Oh no, you don't need to worry about that. Falling behind and getting lost because that old nag of yours can't keep up, that's the major concern here," she smiled impishly.

Nuada snorted. _Like you could really out run me if you tried._ "A stream runs through the woods there," he said nodding to a point off in the distance, "the horses could use some water."

Rhoswen gazed at the countryside as they rode. It seemed forever since she had last seen the hills and forests. Their changing color marked the passing of winter. The grass was getting its color back and here and there green buds could be seen sprouting out of the branches of the early trees. "This must be an old woods," she commented in a hushed voice as they passed under the thick lower branches of trees which formed a low canopy over their heads

"Some say the gods had a hand in planting it," Nuada said as tied his horse to a low lying branch, its end trailing in the stream.

_I believe it_, she thought to herself as he helped her down. A silent sanctity prevailed which made it feel as if she was somewhere holy. The stillness surrounded them as they walked deeper into the wood.

"It must be really close to spring," she realized with a start. The wedding was set for mid spring.

"Yes, not too long now," he said but she couldn't tell it he was referring to spring, the wedding, or their current destination and she was not about to ask.

Eventually they stopped under one of the trees, its large roots providing a sheltered nook for them. Nuada turned to her and she felt a knot of nervousness twist inside her as he pulled the box out of his cloak. It creaked as he opened it. "I should have presented this to you here the first time but it seemed like there was never a good time," he looked up to find her eyes. "I offer you this bracelet to you not only as a sign of my caring deeply for you, but also to symbolize you joining my family and my people. This tree is the symbol of my house, of my people, of everything we stand for," he said as he pulled the bracelet from its box, "By accepting it you are not only accepting me and my love, but also my people, with all of their blessings and their faults, and they in turn, will welcome you." He paused studying her face before asking, "Will you take this gift?"

Rhosewen's breath caught in the back of her throat. For a moment she didn't know what to say, her thoughts were a jumbled mess. Did he just say he loved her? What? _Yes, he defiantly said that_, she thought as she replayed what he said in her mind, trying to make sure she wasn't making anything up. He was looking at her so seriously she remembered he needed and an answer. Her voice caught, she had to clear her throat before she could say, "Yes. Yes I accept you, your love, and your people."

A smile lit up his face. Before she could blink he took her face in her hands and pressed his lips to hers. Surprise lasted only for a moment before she melted into the kiss, reaching up with a hand to cradle the back of his warm neck.

"You scared me for a moment," he said, resting his forehead against hers.

"Sorry, I was just so nervous."

"Formality makes you nervous?" he asked, cocking his head as he fastened the bracelet on her.

"It's your gravity that makes me nervous."

He smiled as he stroked her face, "It's a mark of my sincerity. If I was trifling with you, laughing as I said those things, then you would need to be concerned." He grew serious again, "I don't ever want you to doubt that I care for you."

She felt her heart flutter at his words, "You care for me?"

"Yes you silly creature, that's what I've been saying. Never doubt it."

Rhoswen smiled, "I won't," she said staring into his eyes, feeling his warmth as their lips met again. Her worries, her cares, her fears all vanished as a tingling joy spread throughout her body. That she was his seemed impossible, too good to be true, but she was not interested in questioning it. She much preferred reveling in the moment, in the feel of his hands moving down her back, the way their mouths fit together, the whistling noise in her ear growing louder . . . suddenly punctuated by two loud thunks as a pair of arrows sunk through her cloak into the tree behind her.

Nuada whipped around, spear in hand, trying to make himself large in front of her, acting as a shield for her. "Coward," he seethed as he searched the empty forest around him.

Rhoswen tugged on the cape, trying to wrench it free to no avail. She felt Nuada go tense and looked up in time to see a form detach itself from the trees.

"Shooting fish in a barrel is never fun anyway," Liam said as he casually stepped into the light. He sighed, "You weren't supposed to die Nuada. Lavinia will be furious, but I don't see how we can get around it now." He slowly stalked toward them, circling to Nuada's left.

Nuada stayed in front of her, "Are you hurt?" he asked quietly keeping his eyes on Liam as he came closer.

"No," she said continuing to yank on the cloak.

"Can you move?" He hated not being able to turn and help her.

"No, no I'm stuck," notes of panic in her voice.

His eye's moved off Liam just for a second but it was all the opening his opponent needed to send a knife flying towards her. Rhoswen stood frozen, her eyes wide in terror, as the knife vibrated in the tree next to her face.

"Don't worry human. I'll deal with you next," he gave her his most lethal smile.

In that instant Nuada was on him. Rhoswen didn't even know he had leapt until she heard the ring of steel on steel as Liam blocked his charge. The prince's fury was evident in his controlled blows as he hammered at Liam relentlessly, but the other elf met and parried each blow.

Rhoswen was mesmerized; it was like watching a pair of dancers as they twisted and spun around each other with such speed that she was sure she was barely seeing half of what was going on. Nuada caught Liam's blade and knocked it away. Just as quick Liam pulled another from his back and launched his own offensive. Slowly, unbelievably, he began driving Nuada back. Fear started creeping back up her spine. There was no break, no relief. _There's no way he can keep this up, _she thought, _there has to be a break._

Liam's blade kissed the back of the prince's leg. She couldn't hold back a scream as Nuada stumbled, going down to one knee but eventually fighting his way back onto his feet. It was obvious that both were tiring as they circled one another. Nuada darted forward feinting right. She could see Liam's face register in sudden surprise as Nuada striped his sword from him. Lacking any other weapon, Liam charged in desperation, tackling Nuada who hit the ground hard, forcing the air out of his lungs. The fall knocked his spear from his hand. Liam took advantage, landing blow after blow to Nuada's face.

Rhoswen pulled as hard as she could trying to tear the fabric so she could do something but it was no use. "Stop it!" she screamed watching the blood run down Nuadas chin and brow. She tried to hold back a cringe as Liam looked up, his eyes maniacal, hair flying around his face. Reaching down he grabbed a handful of Nuada's hair and hauled him towards her, stopping three feet away.

"You pathetic . . . little . . .bitch," he said as he wrestled his arms around Nuada's neck. He leaned into the prince as he tightened his grip. "You seriously chose her? Over my sister? How, in what world, would that ever be considered a wise decision?" The only thing keeping Nuada's neck form snapping was the arm he had managed to wrench between Liam's tightening grasp. Rhoswen looked around for something, anything she could use to help Nuada.

Liam grinned evilly as he choked him, leaning in to make sure Nuada heard every word he said, "Watching you make a fool of yourself with this human, your people deserve better, and I will be there to give it to them." Taking a moment to savor victory, he was about to end the prince when a searing pain rammed through his gut.

Blood spewed forth as he coughed in shock. Nuada ducked out of Liam's arms and turned to face him. "No, you won't," he said softly at Liam's last breath.

Rhoswen stared motionless as Liam gradually turned to stone. Nuada watched her carefully for a reaction, "Rhoswen?" he asked softly. He almost gasped at the hollowness in her eyes as she turned toward him. Finally they seemed to focus on him and he saw a flicker of life before she broke down in tears. A few quick strides and he had her shaking body in his arms. "Its fine, you're safe now, you're fine Rhoswen," he said gently into her hair.

She felt ridiculous but she couldn't stop crying, "I don't know . . . why I'm balling. . . . you're . . . the one . . . that looks a mess."

He chuckled casually even though it hurt, "Don't worry about me."

"You haven't seen your face," she said, feeling a bit better that she could actually speak in sentences.

"It will mend. It probably looks worse than it is." He was more worried about her, but she seemed to be coming back to herself. "And you have not seen your face," he said gravely. He never wanted to see despair like that on her face again. He leaned over and pulled the arrows from the tree where they'd pinned her cloak.

"Do you think you can manage the ride back?" he asked.

"Yes. The sooner we get away from that," she said nodding to the statue, "the better."


End file.
